Over the last 15 years, the Internet has become the dominant portal for media consumption for today’s generation. As this shift has occurred, intelligent commentators from the world of publishing, journalism, technology, business, and academia have brought forth many interesting and nuanced views on the scope of this change and its effect on modern culture. Recently, I came across two excellent articles that explored some of the most urgent and important issues of the Digital Age.

The first article, “Good Times,” written by Jessa Crispin for The Smart Set from Drexel University, explores the importance of being kind online. 

From the article:

“A common complaint about the Internet, whether it’s being leveled by a journalist who just lost his newspaper job or someone who found herself the target of online rage, is that it’s such a shallow, spiteful place. While it’s a ludicrous statement — the Internet is merely a medium, not anything homogeneous — the complaint is valid in large, and vocal, parts of the online world. It’s odd that in this age of loosened borders and individualism, online you can be drowned out with boos and hisses just by stating an off-center position. Sure, the idyllic promise of the Internet is that it can bring you news from around the world and expose you to people and things you never would have seen otherwise, but in reality many of us use it simply as an echo chamber.”

The second article, “The News About the Internet,” by Michael Massing for the New York Review of Books explores the role the Internet, particularly blogs, play in the dissemination of news. I explored this topic myself in a recent post here at the Reputation.com Blog.

From Massing’s article:

“This image of the Internet as parasite has some foundation. Without the vital news-gathering performed by established institutions, many Web sites would sputter and die. In their sweep and scorn, however, such statements seem as outdated as they are defensive. Over the past few months alone, a remarkable amount of original, exciting, and creative (if also chaotic and maddening) material has appeared on the Internet. The practice of journalism, far from being leeched by the Web, is being reinvented there, with a variety of fascinating experiments in the gathering, presentation, and delivery of news. And unless the editors and executives at our top papers begin to take note, they will hasten their own demise.”