With all the latest social networking sites and rss feeds and ultra-niche media available on the internet there is an unprecedented ability to consume exactly the information that we want. If I like american muscle cars, classical music from German composers and the point of view of a news blog out of Kentucky that is all that I ever have to see. I don’t have to watch the local news to get the weather and traffic. I don’t need to be exposed to music that I don’t like. I don’t need to know that Volvo just introduced a new sedan. Through my specialized social networks I can connect with people just like me from all over the world.

Before the internet, media was relatively limited. If Johnny Carson had a great show the night before there was a pretty good chance that a bunch of other people at work the next day would also be talking about it. The majority of people in a town read the local paper. National news came from Rather, Jennings, or Brokaw. Radio choices were limited, so you might have to listen to a lot of different music to hear your favorites.

The internet opens up amazing possibilities for communication and personalization of media and gives a voice to anyone who has something to say. This is fantastic, but I have begun to wonder what we have lost? I can have a community of people across the globe, but have I lost community with the people around me? If I don’t need to hear a point of view that I don’t agree with, will I choose to?