"But in the last several years, I've watched friends and colleagues suddenly find themselves without publishers after having brought out many books. Writers now use words like "track" and "mid-list" and "brand" and "platform." They tweet and blog and make Facebook friends in the time they used to spend writing. Authors who stumble can find themselves quickly in dire straits. How, under these conditions, can a writer take the risks required to create something original and resonant and true?"
it's filters, not info overload, stupid nin gutenberg galaxy editors were filters, now we need others (since info overload ain't the problem but how we treat info) privacy/public now is a technological question (eg fb etc)