About Bit.ly For Feelings

I was pretty curious when I heard about Bit.ly’s latest stunt: links with feelings.

The story is simple: if you share something, you’re supposed to have some sort of feeling towards that piece of content. Introducing Bit.ly For Feelings, “a fun bookmarklet to express how you feel about the content you’re sharing”.

Even if I have my doubts about its mass-adoption potential (since sharing is becoming increasingly automated), its intentions are pretty good towards making sharing more human (again).

Like the hashtag, which is swiftly balanced between the indexation of content (e.g. #london) and the enrichment of speech (e.g. #whyme), if Bit.ly For Feelings catches on it can actually make sharing a richer experience. So on top of all the stuff we’re putting out there, we can let the world know what we actually think about it (the Internet doesn’t always understand sarcasm, for instance).

I’m all for enriching the way we experience the web. Specially since everyone now shares more than anyone can consume. Maybe the secret in Bit.ly For Feelings is about actually making us stop and think about what we’re about to share, increasing our critical analysis about those representations of ourselves on the Internet (and many times outside of it). Maybe the results of its usage will deliver further proof that we share mostly stuff we already agree with. Maybe it will spawn a new generation of “expressive sharers” who focus the emotion on the URL they share and increasingly lose their real voice on explaining why that piece of content really matters. Or maybe no one will care.

As with any ambitious idea, only time will tell.

Image: Bit.ly

Originally posted at restreitinho.com.