Not too long ago we used to think about "aggregators" in the world wide web context as RSS feeds, a tool to make it easier to stay current on what’s going on at our preferred websites. In a certain way, that is what the term is still known for. With time, the "Citizen Journalism" phenomenon emerged bringing with it all sorts of great content as well as a boat load of crap. To rescue us, natural selection quickly engaged its cogs and the engine filtered out (and still is) all the hot air self-proclaimed journalists.
Design, be it fashion, graphics, architectural, industrial or any kind, really, due to its intrinsic innovative characteristic coupled with so many creative minds spread all over the world, made the internet, and more specifically online journalism (both, formal and citizen’s) a vital tool to the dissemination of great ideas.
When we cross the statements above we end up with some sort of "citizen journalism aggregator blogs for all things design". Yes, it’s a mouth full, I know. Probably people have already come up with a category name for this type of blog (since we are masters at labeling) that I am not aware of (enlighten me, if you will), but I am referring to blogs which basically do not generate any kind of content, instead they simply inform you about other people’s content creations. Do not get me wrong though! There is a clear and real value to the service this kind of blog offers, after all in modern society one of the most valuable commodities is time and "aggregator blogs" help you save just that, besides, isn’t it convenient to find all the stuff we are interested
in visiting a few web addresses? Therein lies the problem…
Let’s make a quick comparison: News outlets have become extremely powerful over the years (it is not without a reason that all walks of religious institutions try to acquire TV and radio stations, magazines and newspapers, but that is a whole other story…) and we are forever slaves *and* supporters of that structure. Don’t you think I would love LittleLion Studio to be featured in The New York Times? Of course I would and that makes me a slave and a supporter. On the Internet it’s another story altogether (or at least that’s how it was supposed to be).
One of the basic and still valid arguments for the Internet is that it would give a voice to anyone who wanted to be heard. The little guy could build a website (especially in the old times when http really meant hyper text transfer protocol, not fancy and complicated flash, javascript, mySQL and PHP) and compete shoulder to shoulder against the big guys in any field! Nowadays we see an opposite trend gaining strength, that of the middleman, that of the distributor. They are coming back because in giving everybody the chance to be heard, we never fully realized that most everybody would indeed want to speak their minds. The result is that practically nobody’s voice can be discerned from the online background noise and so the middlemen, the distributors, the aggregators are coming back to channel us, to tune us to the voices that [they think] "truly deserves" to be heard.
Slowly but surely we are bringing to the digital world the same enslaving structure we got so comfortable with and addicted to in the mechanical world. I need to say this one more time: I am not against aggregator blogs, I actually follow or at least check some of them on a regular basis myself. If you care for the fact that a certain someone thinks a particular product, design or service to be cool, trendy, fashionable… by all means, that is great! The two of you (and all hundreds of thousands of
followers) probably have a similar taste or at least convergent styles, but don’t forget that the Internet gives you the power to research, select and judge on your own as well, without guidance, without supervision, without bounds. Entertain the possibility that someone whose opinion you care so much about might be missing something which would make all the difference to you and truly rock your world.
I guess all I am saying is let’s not repeat ourselves. As functional and valuable as a piece of paper may be, let’s not make it more important than the message written on it.
2 Comments
Thank you so much for this insight. I have only recently entered into this whole computer world and I find it completely overwhelming, and many blogs are just watered down magazines…I find my inspiration out and about in the world, and I’m happy to remain that way. That said, the reading of fluff while having a cuppa is fantastic thing!
I love your designs and images and have one being used for my website, not ready yet…
Thank you, Lara. I agree with you about the overwhelming amount of information available to us these days and yes, it is a matter of balance!
Come back here when you launch your website and let me know, will ya?? ;)