So, the reason I hate the internet (specifically email lists, blog posting areas, discussion boards, etc) is that it’s an incredibly clumsy medium for discussing anything with any level of nuance.
The amount of time it takes to craft a post, only have it re-interpreted or mis-interpreted or simply ignored is horrific. Over and over, I tangle myself in discussions that could probably be productive and interesting if only they were occurring in person rather than online, but instead, the result is either a train wreck, or a massive time sink, or both.
This comes to mind as I just dropped a couple hours ranting on Daniel Abraham’s blog about GMO’s. Not a waste of time, but jeez, why didn’t I just pick up the phone and chat with Daniel instead? I would have been happier, the discussion would have been richer, and it wouldn’t have taken any more time than doing all that typing. Probably less. When did we become so satisfied with this inadequate medium? How did it become so ubiquitous when it is so clearly inadequate?
It’s a compulsion to communicate. But the communication that the internet fosters seems to mostly be an illusion.