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Future Governance: KIPP Project (2024-25)

From Papers to Posts

The concept of blogs versus academic papers has always been something that has riled me up, and what I mean by that is whether or not a blog is more effective at portraying or relaying information to more people than an academic paper is.

Now of course this is more nuanced a question then it seems upfront and in fact this was once a huge point of contention for me.

On one side of my career, I was writing quite a lot of academic-style papers, and on the other, I was ghostwriting for all sorts of blogs. One seemingly pays a lot more than the other up front, and, from a vanity standpoint, many more people were reading my blogs or my videos that I was creating than those who were actually reading my academic papers.

Yet the value of being able to dive in depth, have structure, references, have others peer review and nitpick my paper versus just a simple blog was always of huge value for me.

And I think that value still stands today yet, I’ve accidently created a hybrid format that gives me the best of both worlds. Nearly every blog that I’ve created usually has one, if not maybe two or three, academic papers hiding behind it.

Here’s what I mean:

I often find myself deep in the weeds of a research report or exploring some concept for a business report at my company.

Once I’ve wrapped up (or even while I’m still writing), I usually realize that a lot of these ideas would resonate with folks outside the intended audience.

The catch? They probably wouldn’t want to wade through all the evidence and formal stuff that’s expected in those kinds of papers.

Some people just don’t need—or want—all that evidence and structure. If anything, it might bore them or throw them off track.

They’re happy to take your word for it, trusting that you’ve done your homework.

What they’re really after is the meat of the concept or the thought experiment you’re serving up. They want the interesting bits without all the academic trimmings.

That’s exactly what I did in this blog here: Rousseau’s Ghost in the Machine: An 18th-Century Lens on AI (vcwriting.com)

That blog dives into some pretty deep concepts, but here’s the thing: the academic paper I’m writing on the same topic? It’d be a tough sell for most of my family and friends. Not because they couldn’t get it – they’re plenty smart. It’s just that many of them don’t have the time or need for all the evidence and supporting details that come with a structured academic paper. They’re after a quick, engaging read.

And you know what? Sometimes it’s just nice to sit down and let the words flow onto the page. To explain what’s on my mind or what I believe without the pressure of backing up every single point for potential debates or peer reviews. It takes some of the weight off and makes the whole writing process a lot more fun.

So I think my plan for this entire blog series is to do just that:

Each of these blogs will likely have a paper or project behind it, whether it’s for one of my classes or just a hobby paper. I’m thinking of weaving them together into something like a book outline. What I mean is, most of these blogs will follow a specific theme, though I might throw in a random one now and then just for fun.

The goal is to take this concept of a blog with its academic twin and shape it into a more structured, formal workflow, all while keeping that lovely, casual blog vibe.

Now, my mind might change down the road – readers in the future will probably have a better idea of how this all panned out.

But for now, the plan is this: my main blogs will be similar to the one I linked above. As I work through my classes, dive into my readings, and explore different concepts, I’ll pick a writer or philosopher to focus on.

I’ll deep dive into their writings or the books they’ve poured their hearts into and try to imagine what they’d think about today’s AI and tech innovations.

I’ll probably lean towards thinkers who came before the digital revolution really kicked off. We’ll see how that goes. Looking ahead, I hope this blog becomes another marker in my journey, a way to measure my progress and compete against my past self.

You know, we often get caught up comparing ourselves to others. But really, all we need to do is put in the work, write stuff down, and get something tangible out there. Give it a few years, and we can look back and see how far we’ve come.

It’s still a tough battle, sure, but I think it’s way more doable and healthier than always measuring up against others.

But I digress

Till the next one, friends.

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