Public Parts, by Jeff Jarvis

In this book, Jeff Jarvis writes as an advocate for the public culture the Internet has fostered. While at times I would call him overly optimistic, he highlights ways that the Internet’s culture of publicness has positively affected our lives. He discusses the meaning of public versus private, what the terms meant in the past, and what they mean now.

While I do not agree with everything he writes (I tend to err on the side of caution and, yes, privacy), I can see that many of his points are valid. He takes care to acknowledge the negative aspects of the Internet, but he gives plenty of examples illustrating how publicness has helped improve our relationships, has changed the way businesses run, and has enabled and empowered people all over the world. I’ll admit, some of the examples he gives are pretty impressive and persuasive. And some of his points weren’t lost on me. Reading his book has inspired me to try more of this publicness thing. I’m making more of an effort to be public on the Internet.

I appreciate the way he writes. He promotes an honest and open publicness and I can tell he believes it, because his writing is frank, blunt, and very honest. He goes further than the Internet in many instances, questioning the moral mores of society and how that affects how we react. He talks about the history of the public vs. private debate and he discusses the ethics of publicness.

All in all, I feel that this book is a good, optimistic read that will make you more willing to see the public Internet culture in a positive light. I didn’t agree with everything he had to say, but I agree that this book is a rewarding and thought-provoking read.