It's fascinating how the Internet keeps us (or probably should keep us) all on edge about what we say, the same way a politician/celebrity might. How we're all becoming little mini-public figures with the same concerns as traditional public figures, except on a smaller scale.

I remember William Gibson, in the New York Times a few years back, talking about the radical transparency he saw as our future. He talked about how hard it's becoming to keep a secret, which is true, but we're lucky in that it's becoming hard for EVERYONE to keep a secret. Radical transparency means that we'll have a level playing field, in some sense.

Most of the work I do is in politics…I'm well aware that, one day, there's a good chance something I've written or some piece of smut I've blogged will come up and become a liability for my employer. I'll get fired, get blacklisted, etc. and so forth. Thing is, I'm not the only one with a trail, with this knowledge…it seems that everyone going forward will be in the same position, save for those who choose a life of hermitage, away from technology.

Once twitter, or something like it, reaches that level of integration into society it ceases to be “narcissistic” and becomes like any other personal display we put on; our clothes, our homes…it becomes a part of the face we wish to show the world. More than a productivity tool, it becomes another (somewhat narrow) channel by which we can identify ourselves.