Digg

My husband introduced me to Digg some months ago at the same time he introduced me to Reddit, so what I'm doing here is taking a little more focused look at something I'm already familiar with. The plus side of it is that it is useful in seeing what topics are generating buzz and what the hot topics of the moment are. The negative side of it is that it appears to put us into a situation where news deemed the most important and significant news stories of the day are determined by popular vote rather by, you know, whether they were actually important.

Plus side - I see that the Sims 3 will have a new expansion pack! And I can read about people who are both enthusiastic about sending their Sim to Egypt and disdainful about plunking down yet MORE money for this franchise. Hey, this is more important to me than Paula Abdul sulking about her American Idol salary and quitting. Entertainment information is not supposed to be earth-shattering.

Negative side - Star Wars vs. Star Trek: which is better? This is the fourth most important news topic in entertainment? Let's try World and Business instead...OK, the first three stories are about health care protesters, the murder of a Taliban leaders' wife, and a killer's racist diary. Story number four: Should BMW sell Ketchup? In the meantime, CNN reports that Squeaky Fromm is being released from jail, the Sotomayor confirmation hearings continue, and two journalists pardoned by North Korea after intervention from Clinton arrive home.

Ketchup, huh?

Digg is pretty amusing, and I can see why it's popular - it gives people a way to vent about the events they see around them; the watercooler has gone electric. I am a little wary about sites that proport to deliver news, but are not primarily written or vetted by journalists; I think we are headed more and more towards a world where all news of every kind is presented without any attempt at objectivity whatsoever. I first read Digg and Reddit at my husband's suggestion, and eventually put them mostly aside simply for being a bit too juvenile. I like my news a bit more thoughtful.