Facilitating Change

Polarized and paranoid

Polarized and paranoid. This is how I’ve been describing public discourse for the last few years now. I’d like to see it change. This post will explore what I mean by this, why I think it’s happening, and what we can do to reverse this dangerous trend. Learn why this post is incomplete.

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Social networking sites, self-definition, and connectedness

Online social networks have become so popular because they allow us to define who we are, where we fit, and connect with others. This is also true (to a lesser extent?) for online communities — Slashdot, Boing Boing, Wikipedia, Global Voices — places people go to identify as members of a particular community.

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Television and creativity

In January 1999 I broke up with my television. I was a recently single mother of a two-year-old child and I knew if I had that dammed thing in the house I would succumb to the temptation to put him in front of it. So I could cook supper without him grabbing my legs and screaming for my undivided attention. So I could have a moment to myself.

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