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ustin Hall, a 21-year-old junior at Pennsylvania's Swarthmore College, is
something of a Net phenomenon. Justin leads a twice-weekly class, "Web Ethics," which
class members take for no credit. Classes are held at 8.30 a.m. each
Tuesday and Thursday. "I picked the harshest time I could," says Justin.
"I wanted to weed out the dweebs."
Justin is author of "Justin's Links from the Underground," a two-year-long
personal Web project that includes his daily journals, nude photos of himself,
and links to all things wild and wonderful hidden in the Web. The Philosophy:
At my site, I encourage passionate personal publishing, dispense advice, and give guided tours of the web. Cuz I've been publishing freely and receiving feedback since January 1994, I got oodles of love to give back to the net. What's got me pumped is my autobio, tellin' stories about my life. Sharing stories gives guidance. Hearin' my grampa reflect on death sure made me appreciate life. Young folks going to get a little different spin on sexually transmitted diseases when they hear from another twenty-year-old who caught non-specific urethritis. I was arrested, felonied and strip searched for taking notes on a protest. Read about it, it will piss you off too. I'll talk to anyone who'll listen. Joy and pain is pretty universal; maybe you'll find catharsis or a sense of yourself within. Other folks are sharing their life too, some following my example. As best I see it, this is the least alienating incarnation of this medium. No distance, no bullshit objectivity; I'm telling stories about my life, you can either take it or leave it. I'm not going to tell you you have to read it to be hip, I'm not saying I'm the authority on anything but what I been through. Real stories, or personally inflected stories, ring true because I don't deny myself a place in them. You know where I stand, so you know where you stand. And perhaps your father also died when you were young. Or you had trouble relating to a beautiful person with whom you were in love. Or you got the best job you could possibly imagine, and didn't want to work there anymore.
Ain't no sales. Ain't no advertisin'. Just folks sharin' stories. The web makes media transparent. To claim to be the arbiter of cool, or the voice of the digital revolution, how does that differentiate you from some guy claiming the same thing two clicks away? If you are truly hip, why do you need to tell us? Honesty, or the lack thereof, becomes quickly apparent -- because it's easy, I'm going to leave your bullshit! Take responsibility for your own perspective. It's all you have, and the best thing you've got! And your community! You can't forget to link up your life. The web structure encourages you to say -- Here's where I came from; here are my friends, my family. Here are my mentors. Here are the experiences that make me tick! If you care deeply for some one, or something, picture 'em in your head, and make some media. Feel the love you got from them, and let it flow onto a web page. You'll be astonished at what comes out. And so will the web. You gotta share it, cuz it's you! You should be flattered that folks'd want to read it! And if someone might take some inspiration, or some commiseration from it, you could do a good deed, just by tellin' a story! You can make a habit of it, cuz as long as you've got love, you've got unlimited source material! And no copyright concerns, cuz there's only compassion for those who would steal your life's work... Folks connect with honesty. Intentions come through in the speed of the surf. If you see ten slick sites in a half hour, the one with some lumps and passion is gonna stand out. This may be a new medium, but I got old messages -- be yourself, feel the force, and share alike.
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