"Togetherness"

Madison Ultis
“Togetherness” Reading
11 March 2008

I really enjoyed the “Togetherness” piece. I thought that Weinberger did a wonderful job of showing just how vast the Web can be, but how it’s possible to join together under a common interest, hobby, literature, etc. I liked how he constantly went back to how the Web isn’t just a mass of faceless people, but rather, it is a mass of individuals, all with their own ideas, beliefs, and so on.
When he went on talk about how marketers reduce each person to the lowest form, I found that particularly interesting. It is true that to marketing geniuses I am nothing more than a Caucasian woman, ages 21-40 or whatever it would be; however, that doesn’t by any means comprise all that I am.
Weinberger then discussed the idea of fame, both in the ‘real’ world and on the Web. He says that fame off the Web is when people know of you, like in his example of Melanie Griffith on television, etc. Fame on the Web, however, is when people get the chance to know you. That sort of fame is acquired when people can read about you and know something of what you’re about as a person. Fame on the Web doesn’t matter where you live because it has no geographical location. The circle of fame can continue on endlessly. As Weinberger says, “We’re connecting in a way that real-world fame does not permit” (104).
He went on to discuss the differences between Metcalfe’s Law and Reed’s Law in terms of the Web. This part did not interest me quite as much as the rest of the piece. I really enjoyed the last half of the piece about threaded discussions and how the conversations can be never-ending. Unlike groups that meet once a month at the local library where each member should actively participate, the Web allows “members” to just follow along, almost nodding in agreeance without ever having to leave the comfort of their own home. Weinberger calls it “lurking” when people do not participate, but rather read posts without ever posting back. This is something that I am completely guilty of. It’s actually how I get a lot of my information. I am able to go onto a particular site and read about what other people have said about the topic.
Lastly, I liked how he closed the piece out, describing how he has found himself starting at the masses of people driving by before and thinking how crazy it is that each person has his/her own thoughts, feelings, etc. and he’ll never know anything about them. I have totally done this so many times, especially while driving on the highway. I’ll pass someone and think about whom they are, where they’re going, and it really stupefies me, the same way he described. Overall, I thought this piece was really great because it opened my eyes to ideas about the Web that I had never before even thought about. I never realized just how connecting this “Web” is woven, and it’s ability to bring together the most unique individuals.