It has long been a trope of the feminist movement that commercialization necessarily exploits women. So feminists, like many advocacy journalists, have turned to the nonprofit world and to academe for refuge from harsh commercial reality. Ms Magazine, for example, is run by a foundation, and there is no shortage of nonprofit groups aimed at encouraging women’s work in university-based media. There have been plenty of valid reasons for this: In a world where media production costs are often daunting—even for profit-making enterprises—feminist undertakings struggle for support and large audiences. It’s easier to sell 100 lipsticks than it is to move 100 hardcover books—or it was until Amazon.com came along.
But, as Amazon demonstrates, the Internet is a great equalizer. Someone living in a rural county or town can, with a few clicks of a mouse, access a bookstore as rich and varied as any you might find in a big city. And big city bookstores are, of course, fighting for survival. Amazon’s global reach flattens the marketplace for what it’s selling. In this world, it’s brains—who’s faster, who’s better, who’s cheaper—not brawn that works best. The Internet is ruthless, of course, but it’s also a place—particularly now that its technology is very easy to use—where strong voices can be found without a great deal of effort. In addition, working online is inexpensive. The costs—even for a relatively complicated undertaking like mine, Spot-on.com, are small.
With all this activity, we’re gong to see lots of new voices. They’ll come from new, yet-to-be started sites, some commercial, some not. Some will be one-trick ponies that make big splashes but don’t endure. Others will grow quietly and find long-term readers and fans. Even more heartening, much of what’s happening on the Internet right now is clumsy efforts to test the medium. Think back to the early black-and-white sitcoms made when television was a fresh new medium. Compare them to what’s on your screen today. That’s how far we have to go.
The tremendous interest in blogging—on the part of readers and writers—was the first wave. For some, it was a great experiment. For others, it’s become an avocation. For some like me, a job. There’s more out there to be discovered beyond the world of blogging, because what we have now—no matter how technically sophisticated it may seem, no matter how editorially appealing, no matter how popular—is temporary.
Anyone worried, concerned, or interested in what’s happening online would do well to look ahead to what can be done, rather than back to what hasn’t been or is not being done in the news outlets we’ve come to rely on. When I look at the Internet I see a vast array of competitive voices, some crazy, some sane, some left, some right, some foolish, some devilishly shrewd. In that, I see enormous possibility for women to shape, change, and even control political commentary in new and vital ways.
