[Acts of Volition](http://www.actsofvolition.com/archives/2005/march/theinternet) has some great commentary, by way of [Peter Rukavina](http://ruk.ca/article/2646) about how the decentralized nature of the Web affects our thinking and culture.
What struck me is that newspapers have traditionally been a force for centralization.
Newspapers go out into the community — be it literal, like [Atlanta](http://www.ajc.com), or figurative, like pop music — and gather news and information from disperate sources.
Then they bring it back, in the old days to one central building — though now it may be a bureau, write it up and push it back out to readers.
So, in the future, as our culture adapts to one where media consumers are also media producers, what’s the future of newspapers — or any information collecting/dissemenating institution for that matter.
I don’t have the answer, it’s a question that’s always a background process running in my head.
One thing I do know: power in the hands of consumers has almost always proven to be a good thing in just about any industry.
But the product we peddle one that’s so vital and important to the health of a democracy, information.
I may not know the answer, but I’m optimistic that I’ll like the outcome.
