Posted by Gordon King on Feb 23, 2011 | Comments Off

Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for the internet. The web is a marvelous tool for visual storytelling. But that tool comes with a cost. As newspapers become smaller (in both physical size and page count) and more photos and stories are moved on to the web, we lose what’s known as “refrigerator journalism,” important portions of the newspaper which are cut out and taped to the refrigerator. Or, in the case of high school wrestler Chris Castillo, tacked to his bedroom wall.

Sure, social media sites such as Facebook can  serve as digital “refrigerators” where content can be saved and viewed later and you don’t have to worry about those digital memories yellowing and becoming brittle years later. Those electronic memories can be easily be passed from one generation to another.  But will those electronic versions of history have the same impact or significance as those clippings on the fridge?

I’m sure that as time advances “refrigerator journalism” will be considered a quaint artifact of our pre-digital world Much like a manual typewriter or wooden skis with cable bindings are regarded today suitable only for home decoration.

Still, I think losing our ability to post history on the refrigerator is a loss indeed.

–Gordon King