One of the things I love about the internet is that it’s a total meritocracy. Even if people don’t really know what it is you’re good at, if you’re good enough, you’ll get recognition. You’ll get clients if you call for them in the right places, your business will grow if you husband it properly, your friends count will rise and –

Hell. You know this already. I’m not going to wax sociophilic.

Look at the net. Look at your behaviour on it, and what it brings to you. Want an example of merit? Wikipedia. It’s universally decried as a non-source by schools because of it’s group editing. Does this mean it’s failed to have impact? No; hell, Kids CBC references it at least once in one of their between-show skits.

There are some very simple reasons that the net is such a powerful societal force. For one, the net abhors middle-men; information is made available at its source, and is aggregated by the final receivers. This is not only true for information, but also for products. It’s why the ecosystem of business – an especially good example is the book business – is changing so thoroughly. Secondly, there’s the universal dream of acceptance and validation; this one’s a mixed blessing because, while we can all find niches that we fit, we can also all claim to be something we’re not. This is why I’ve resolved to never, ever, call myself any kind of expert until someone else does so first.

I look at a lot of people I follow closely and see a great leaning toward the incorporation of meritocratic ideals beyond what’s automatically assumed, and it actually brings me a little hope. There’s a movement toward good taste, treating people properly, and encouraging transparency that’s reassuring at its core.