Introduction
Like any popular mass medium, the internet often reflects the time and place as well as the people who use it. From the directory web to the search web to the social web to the mobile web, each shift in core internet behaviors has spawned its own set of stars: companies, investors, celebrities and journalists. Jenna Wortham is one of those rare writers who is able to explain the shapeshifting culture of the younger and newer internet.
A heady blend of smarts, skills, poise and sassiness, she is the voice of the Snapchat generation, throwing herself into the change before making it a story. Her work has always provided a glimpse into emergent internet behaviors, long before they become well-known and commonplace. However, though she lives such a public and social life on the internet, I didn't know much about her in real life.
That all changed when we met for coffee in Manhattan recently. We ended up talking about technology, journalism and life on the internet as well as Beyonce. Here is a shorter version of our long and rambling chat.