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I was struck by this formulation today:
Just a notch above a monkey » On Tumblr
However when I write, it’s not really me who does it. Writing, even when trying to avoid self-censorship (unsuccessfully), engages a different part of a brain than responding to an image or a passage of text. I write so I can think, but even when not, I don’t just type a Joyce-like stream of consciousness. I form sentences I would prefer to utter, but usually don’t.
I’ve written about the difference between retweeting and rebloging recently, mainly from the perspective of individuals contribution to the aggregate knowledge of the world. but Marko hit the nail much harder.
Commenting may grow into expression, but if it doesn’t, all three of these activities are probably distinct in my head. Just like nodding at a meeting, thinking aloud, and sketching an idea on the napkin are very different engagement levels – you can feel the brain switching into different mode.
now, interesting question might be, what happens if you don’t use the ‘narrative’ brain for a while?
