The Oxford English Dictionary defines a post as (1) a support or
column of timber, (2) a stand for displaying notices, and (3) a
vehicle or vessel used to carry letters and other postal matter.
In this essay, I will elaborate the significance of the digital
post in relation to these definitions. I argue that the digital
post connotes these meanings in a variety of ways, but is
ultimately distinct. Thus, an understanding of the digital post
necessitates an understanding of its roots. The OED definition
implies that a post is a foundation upon which more complex
systems are built and maintained. As a stand for displaying
notices, the post is a mass address and a social practice.
Likened to the postal system, digital posts make up a networked
medium that redefines spatial and temporal limitations in the
transportation of information. As an act of publication, the
post’s purpose is to convey ideas by mediating the mind into a
form that is movable, comprehensible, and capable of reaching
others. It forms relations