500,000 people have looked at Caroline Kube’s fingers showing how to crochet a potholder with a waffle pattern. These half-million people have followed and learned how the yarn runs between the thumb and index finger – simultaneously from afar and up close. Nearly 50 million people listened to Tim Urban, who explains in a TED talk why people are all too happy to postpone tasks and how to get this ‹procrastination› under control.
The human pain of postponing what to do – one, two, and then many times – is shared by such a large number of people. Suffering and joy, as intimate and human as they both are, act as worldwide connectors through channels like YouTube. This is the sunny side of the digital world. There is no problem or question which is brought into the anonymous web without arousing interest and sympathy. Out of the billions of users, a group separates itself on every question, on every problem. Because the net knows no space, it does not determine the distance between inside and outside – rather, it solely generates attention. It decides on participation. Thus, the net is related to the starry sky, where an inner world leans over us in a very similar way, with vastness.
Very interesting and varied topics – wonderful! And thank you!