LOU O' BEDLAM

Chapped my hide, this NY Times article did, as it basically claims that Flickr is a place where digital photography kicks analog to the gutters, makes stars of folks who’d never make it in the Art world.

 What really rankles isn’t them focusing on two of Flickr’s “stars,” but rather the fact that in doing so they completely miss the other components of the site that make it so popular.  

 No mention is made of the social aspect, the fact that photographers use the site to meet other like-minded folk.  They appear oblivious to the various groups that revere analog, perhaps because to do so, while creating a fuller, truer picture of Flickr, would’ve put a kink in the thrust of the article.  Let no truth stop a good op-ed. On the site they call it a “blog,” but I’d have to argue that a two page article on the New York Times website is an article, and calling it a blog is an attempt to “speak” to the younger readers.  

Which just reminds me how out of step Journalism is these days, how they’re always behind the curve when it comes to cultural movements, especially on the internet.   Blogs, social networks, hosting sites, file-sharing, all caught traditional media by surprise, and most every time I heard or read about such things, it’s often from someone who has a very weak grasp on what they’re reporting.  And when the reporter does show that they understand what they’re talking about, they go to pains to dumb it down for the viewer/listener/reader, so that the nuances are left on the floor.