I enjoyed this weeks lecture, although the lead up was a little odd. It may be because my tute only had 3 people, but although my question was answered, I felt in the tute I was awkwardly forced to make up a question that I really didn’t need answered. I eventually came up with a question, but I honestly didn’t have anything to ask at this point, which means when it was answered I was just kind of like, “…cool.” I just wonder if the other questions on the list that weren’t answered were ones that people really wanted discussed. I feel like perhaps maybe I cheated them out of getting their question answered… But since attending the lecture, I will say that I enjoyed the discussion that came from my question, and it seemed like other members of the cohort were interested too, so that’s good.

My question was the one about whether the things we publish online are validated only after someone else reads/ consumes/ acknowledges them. I already was aware that publishing my work online is an important aspect for me, a way of reflecting and organising my thoughts, like a journal, OR a visual diary! One of my first posts on this blog (well it was my second one to be exact) was about how the ‘Ocean of ideas’ thing reminded me of the importance of keeping a visual diary. Turns out I was correct, keeping this blog is just like how it was keeping a visual diary, but no so much visual as written. It’s nice when things make a loop like that, when they come back, something that happens frequently when you organise your thoughts like this.

I had a cool epiphany when I realised that my blog doesn’t really exist, the page isn’t there waiting for me, it just appears when someone seeks out its content. Trippy. Also the idea that every time we hyperlink out to something else (which I have done a fair bit), we are building the web that is the internet. We are making connections.

Additionally, the idea of writing for an imagined audience. I never really thought about it like that, but i do keep this blog in my style; the way i write, the flowers under the header, all that, so I guess my readership would be people who think like me, or like my style. So yeah, the blog isn’t just constructed randomly, I make sure it is something I can be proud of, and hopefully that style of what I think is good, also appeals to other people.

Overall, although when I posed the question I was like ‘I have to make up a question before I leave class so this will do,’ the discussion that sprouted from it was really enjoyable. Each academic had something interesting to say and add, as well as the students; I liked the comparison of our blogs to trees that fall when nobody is around, or TV shows that nobody watches, and discussing whether they have value because of that existence. I equally enjoyed the panel’s explanation and discussion of this thought, the difference between what something is, and what it means; another epiphany inducing statement.

So I guess what I took from the events preceding this lecture, as well at the lecture itself, is that it is worth reflecting and discussing, because that is how you generate new ideas.