Dynamic Subspace

Future of Boing Boing July 3, 2008

As you probably know, I’ve been following the Violet Blue fiasco on Boing Boing (see here and here)–a fiasco encompassing a number of popular stops in the blogosphere and gravitationally attracted as if to a black hole in the Boing Boing post, “That Violet Blue Thing.”

I haven’t read all of the 1210 comments, but one common thread has to do with the future of Boing Boing.  Some folks are jumping ship and vowing to boycott.  Others sense a imminent blog implosion.  The sense of confusion some readers feel about the choices made by the editorial staff and the way the situation was handled have called into question people’s beliefs and investments in Boing Boing.  I have to admit that the more I think about it, the more I question my own investment in Boing Boing though not necessarily in the same way as some of these cynics.

I’m a habitual Happy Mutant that visits Boing Boing between five and ten times a day (at least).  I go there in search of what is described by its subtitle, “Wonderful Things.”  Sometimes I see cute things, interesting things, politically charged things, or things hard to describe.  However, the one thing that I didn’t go to see was controversy centered around Boing Boing itself.  It was a sort of safe zone where bad things were sometimes reported or commented on, but the bad things weren’t taking place “at” or “on” Boing Boing in the sense of it being this geographical space, refuge, or hideout.  Unfortunately, the shit hit the fan at Boing Boing when whatever happened between the Boing Boing editors and Violet Blue.  I don’t really care what happened (though, who isn’t curious at least a little bit), but I do care that their private spat invaded what I considered my safe hideout.  Though, it’s selfish of me to claim Boing Boing as my exclusive safe hideout.  The “Directory of Wonderful Things” is owned and operated by some influential persons in the technoculture world, and they certainly have a big stake and voice in the way Boing Boing evolves.  And, there are all of the other readers with their own attachments to and ideological investments in Boing Boing.  It was the clash of all of these competing grasps for what Boing Boing stands for, means to people, or “Boing Boingness” itself.

I can’t say that I know how this will all play out.  Perhaps it will blow over and be forgotten except by a few keen persons, or Boing Boing will have to make some tough decisions and clean up the mess for those most affected by it (the editors, Violet Blue, and the readers).  I doubt Boing Boing will cease to be (at least for the time being), but I do know that my safe hideout to explore wonderful things is a bit less shiny and less enchanting than it was a few days ago.