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Wanting to Be a Spider in the Web

With the creation of the World Wide Web, a new dimension that is slowly merging with our reality has come into existence. Once upon a time, a person's imaginary existence was a private matter that few others may or may not have access to, depending on whether the creator chose to somehow publish this world. Now, those worlds can not only be shared, but the act of creating those worlds can be a shared act. Truthfully, it is the shared act of our time, the art of our century. Whether I want to or not, I am forced to know and interact in this world, but I want to be more than a pawn. The attempt to pull oneself away from this world can leave one out of the happenings of the truly physical world as it is now the central method of communication and exchange of everything, from the arts to basic necessities.


I need to be an active player in the land beyond the electronic realm, or at least be able to communicate about it, thereby bringing me a step closer to not being a pawn. I want the tools and the confidence to discuss the intricate networking and usefulness of the Internet without relying on a simplified translation that makes me feel less than capable of controlling my own direction. And I need to know the limitations of that usefulness to me personally. I would like to also lay the foundations to grow into a creator in the digital reality so that I may participate in its artistry, and the beauty of the interaction, but with the confidence to ensure my personal safety, at least to a degree that protects me from common threat.

As a writer, the World Wide Web takes on a particular challenge for me, but offers a plethora of benefits. Learning to write for the eye of the 21st century that reads on a backlit screen requires me to take several things not previously important into consideration. A writer's brand, no matter their medium seemingly requires a tweet here, a blog there. I have no hopes of being successful without having a voice on paper as well as on screen , and they are not allowed to be the same simply because the developed attention span and the fatigue of the eye are different for each. I know, personally, that these responsibilities can be delegated by an author, but I am distrustful and afraid of a disconnect to my audience if I trust these things to an outsider (outside my mind and created world, that is). And so, I wish to at least know how to safely, securely create my own tiny web inside the greater fabric of the Web without relying on the spiders to weave for me. I want to be a spider attempting to catch flies instead of a fly caught in the web hoping they won't eat me.

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