Now We’re All Editors

Interactions Magazine has published an interesting article that explores the roles that editing and curation play in our information-rich modern world.

From the historic function of editors as polishers of content, to the modern curatorial duties of the digital realm, Interactions breaks down the art and science of editing, examining the crucial skills needed for the task.

They explain:

There has long been an invisible tribe, a mysterious group, who transform scattered thoughts into compelling stories, who splice hundreds of hours of video into feature-length films, who segregate the semicolons from the em dashes. These are editors working across media sectors-publishing, film, music, more-to deliver transformative stories with clarity and grace.

Whether we see it or not, we’re becoming editors ourselves. In the Gutenberg era, the one-to-many relationship, in which an editor dictated the content for the masses, was common. In the post-Gutenberg era, our reliance became more democratic: We sought out editors who could sift through the staggering amount of information for us, signal where to look, what to read, and what to pay attention to. Now there’s another shift at play; you may have seen it reblogged or retweeted recently, in fact. With new tools allowing an unlimited degree of flexibility and freedom, we’re gaining comfort in editing our own media. We are, for the first time, accepting the role of editor, and exhibiting our editorial qualities outward. We’re gaining followers and pointing the way forward for others. But without any training, how are we doing it?

The Art of Editing: The New Old Skills for a Curated Life

[via Kung Fu Grippe]

image by Nic’s events