"Exit the Desert", a photograph I uploaded to Flickr last week. It has been picked up by a writer at NowPublic and will be included in a slideshow along with an article about the desertification of many areas of the world. You can read the story and view the photographs here. This invitation got me thinking about a lot of things, the least of which the dangers of climate change and the diversification of the media on the internet and other non-traditional sources.
But, most importantly it made me think about how we participate in social actions of the internet. The photograph of mine which was selected is not a particularly special photograph but, it contains an idea that is quickly conveyed to the reader. The quick exchange of ideas and symbols is really what the internet and social news is about. The Mars Phoenix Lander twitters from another planet. In LA text messages send on Twitter warn first of impending earthquakes. The way we make news and get news is changing. I think in many ways this is a good thing. It is an example of the occasional wisdom of the commons. It often does not. But, it only works if we all contribute. Now is the time to do so.
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