My name is James. James Del actually. I work at a place called Gawker Media, something I find myself explaining to my parents every time I see them. They'll get it one day. I don't believe in Twitter, but I do believe in Facebook and LinkedIn. There's a Myspace page out there too, but never mind that. Questions, concerns, and comments can be directed to James, At-Sign Gawker, Period Com.
(Incidentally, this is a sign of a new era in trashy journalism. Ashley has left a much wider trail, in web pages, amateur music, and video footage, than characters in the sex scandals of earlier decades.)
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Nick Denton, Exclusive: ‘Kristen’ In Girl-Near-Girl Video Action
It’s only a new era in trashy journalism if the press uncritically republish all of it. Ashley’s MySpace, though personally revealing about her past, is — compared to most other 22 year old’s MySpaces — pretty damn demure. How many young women don’t have a “sexy video” of themselves on a cell phone somewhere? Get some perspective.
(via melissa)
JDel’s Response: Nick isn’t doing anything new here. When nobodies become somebodies (which has been happening since at least the 80’s), it used to be that there was no earlier personal record of that person, beyond the yearbooks and family photos. The digital age has made it possible for EVERYONE to document their lives in such a way that we are all our own celebrities, so when celebrity status is achieved, it is far easier to uncover more information about the person in question. Just imagine if Monica Lewinsky had a blog from HS! Or, on a completely different level, if President Bush had a Flickr account from college. Nick is simply making a point about a much larger trend, where private and public is merging with alarming frequency. How’s that for perspective?
