As vast and informative the internet can be, there's one aspect that is extremely difficult to gauge. Exactly how vast is it? And where I am at any given time with respect to what everybody else is checking out? How intently are people actually visiting a site? What is their level of engagement? Are they simply breezing through some pics or are they regular visitors?
This issue boils down to perspective, something that the electronic world does not readily convey like the physical. I can thumb through thousands of novels on an e-reader, but I can't estimate the time required to finish a single tale by simply looking at the tablet. Or I can purchase millions of songs from i-Tunes, but I can't readily say which ones I am into at the moment, not like a couple of recently listened-to CD's sitting on a desk can enable.
The web, to me, is infinite. Certainly not in the literal physical or electrical sense, but considering how much information changes every instant, there would never be a baseline opportunity to begin charting all of it's waters. Websites are born and fade away every moment. News and comments feeds are live all around the world. Information is endless, but what of it is actually newsworthy, entertaining, intelligent, or credible? Social networks provide some means to learn who's into what, but only if it's a popular topic. Not everything that is created is meant for tweeting or friending. Yet that is the direction it seems everything our society is hooked on. You can friend The Today Show. Or Tweet to Tom Selleck (whether it is actually him or one of hundreds of faux names you can't always tell, again because of perspective).
Despite the endless topics and discussions on the net, it seems incredibly hard to break from routine and to actually explore something new. Something that doesn't originate from the same 5 websites that you frequent for news, status updates, and sports. On a quest, once, I typed "random search generator" on google and found that others have already experienced this same dilemma and attempted to solve it. The couple sites I first saw didn't look too credible, and I wasn't keen on clicking something with no visible web address or indication of what was behind door #3. I also saw a site called StumbleUpon (yes, I forced myself not to exclaim that I stumbled upon their site). It looks like a Pandora but for everything on the net, not just music. And it looks like you have to explain what topics you are into without relying on automatic trackers that online advertisers use to prey on their victims, er customers.
I guess what I would want most would be something like where you spin a globe and point your finger at the next destination. Something free-spirited and romantic but without risk of ending up on Mars. Or something like channel surfing, a casual and open-minded act where you can browse an eclectic assortment of tastes by just hitting the channel button (less popular and slower nowadays, but fun before digital). Surfing, in general, represents a tidal adventure without prescription or known course. A simple mission to ride on a personalized platform, plus a conquerable body of water. The internet is not conquerable. So doubt we'll see internet surfing anytime soon.
I imagine I can always try generating random words by flipping through an (unabridged) dictionary, then inputting those into random search engines and start clicking away. Then I can get my virtual passport stamped as I visit all of the culturally significant destinations on the first 20 web hits. But that's the thing. There would probably still be millions of hits. How would I know what is relevant, non-biased, or just worth my while to look at? Every site gets the same face value respect of an equal size font link and short description, unless it is clearly marked as a "sponsored" advertiser. Much like how an old store sign weathers and fades, I think outdated or inactive website links should be displayed in aging fonts. Or porn site links should be flashy and cheesy. Or tax preparation sites should remain the same dull blue.
All this ranting gets me thinking that perhaps somebody has already proposed a remedy, and that perhaps this remedy is already posted in the sea of knowledge, but has yet to be discovered. In which case I might as well continue my explorations and hope to stumble upon gold. Or at least a shorter passage to India.
