Digitally Dumbfounded

The link on one of the LeedsBlogs really set me thinking. About a lot of stuff.

It is about a website showing a stupendous project: a collection of Polaroids that were taken every single day by one man over the course of eighteen years- right up to the date of his death in 1997.

The first thing I had to think about was the dedication and perseverance required for such a project.

The second is the inspiration.

The third is the richness of life that the photographs reflect.

The fourth is what constitutes suitable subject matter for a photograph.

The fifth is how easy such a project is today- yet how many who try it throw in the towel.

The sixth is, considering the resources available today, how much is being put to meaningful use? User-generated content is getting so much airtime at the moment (Time Magazine’s Person of the Year 2007 was, after all “YOU”), but what is the quality that users are generating? After eight years of “generating content” myself, I think I am entitled to ask such a question.

The seventh, and final thing I had to think about is whether such a collection matters more once a life is no longer a work in progress.