I’m on the road, typing this from an internet cafe that charges me 20 Colones per minute, so forgive me if this is short.
I’ve been considering — since I’ve been away from my routine, about the public/private divide. I used to value them equally I thought — writing in my (private) journal had equal value (though not the same value) as writing on, say, a public forum such as a blog.
But I’ve changed the last few years. Now, I feel like something isn’t real until it’s online (or published). In other words, I’ve lost all sense of value for the private communications that are just to myself or just to one other person.
I know it’s ironic that I’m publicizing this dilemma, but hang with me. I’m guessing many of you out there (many bloggers as well) might have struggled with this, either knowingly or unknowingly. In fact, I’d go so far as to label it a cultural malaise, one that’s pretty unique to American culture. In this age of Facebook and Myspace, Twitter and texting, nothing seems to be private. Nothing even seems like it should stay private. (I’m thinking of all those “kids” blogs, with pictures of children and problems with the children documented in excruciating detail)
This isn’t the first time this problem has come up for me. When celebrating my one year anniversary of BookFox more than two years ago, I lamented that blogging has taken away all my energy for journaling. I suppose I’m still plagued by those same concerns, only I’m extrapolating them out from me to the culture at large.
Some questions to consider:
- If all your communication (about family on a personal blog, about career on a public blog) is public, then what space does that leave for the private?
- Should there be some kind of balance between public/private communications in our lives?
- Is there something sick about only wanting to exist in a larger public forum rather than in a private/local forum? (think Wendell Berry-like on that last question)
3 comments
John, I’m interested in your post. Another question occurs to me: How does the private voice differ from the public voice and which voice has a deeper resonance for the speaker? And, what causes the two voices to differ? All best, and enjoy your travels.
Glen Pourciau
A very interesting post. I am a long-time blog reader, newby blogger. I had not considered the public/private aspect you identify in quite the way you have. Though I knew blogging took substantial energy, I had not considered how the constant publishing could change your perspective in the way you describe.
I will try to keep tabs on my own perceptions as I continue to blog. As a pretty private person, I will be interested to see how my own attitudes change.
To answer one of your questions, I would have said without hesitating that there is “something sick” about only wanting to exist in a larger public forum. But, I don’t know. Your post and your other questions make me think my first reaction may not be the best.
Thank you. Hope you’re enjoying Costa Rica and Bluebeard!
Another delightful and thought provoking post. I’ve certainly experienced similar sentiments and I think that participating in a larger conversation, which really seems to be what blogging or forum writing is all about, can drastically alter just how we communicate. Something else to consider, is simply the public/private relationship as it changes culturally from one country to the next, from one generation to the next, between class systems, etc.