by Patrick Boniface

Created on: November 22, 2009

The world is a complicated and fractured place with many competiting and conflicting interests and ideologies. In many ways it is this complexity that allows the world to function as it does or doesn't depending on your view. The same could also be said of Helium. By being available to most of the world's population, Helium could be an agent of change, of self expression that emcompasses the globe, but does it work as such, that is quite a loaded question?

Helium, as far as I know, does not issue statistics about the number of international writers it attracts who write for the site. We 'internationalists' all know and appreciate that the website is predominately based in and written by American writers. We know this by a cursory glance through the subject matter. Here in Britain, the celebrity lists are seemingly filled with a list of complete and utter strangers. The same could be said of Canadian's looking at German stars, or Indian's scrolling a long list of Russian ballet dancers.

If Helium were to be truly international in its scope then a few things need to change. Firstly the bias towards the United States of America. Admitedly America is the world's only true superpower, its global reach is truly awe inspiring and terrifying at the same time. The States produces nearly all the world's media stock with bylines and sound bites. America is also the world's policeman with a growing presence in the domestic lives of almost every man, woman and child on the planet. Yet, geographically, the United States of America is but a small part of a fascinating and diverse planet of riches. America and Americans need to accept that there is a big beautiful world beyond their boundaries that have cultures and ideas that sometimes don't marry with theirs.

A second aspect of Helium that needs to change if it is to become a truly international platform is to accept and welcome writers, of all abilities, who can 'see, feel and believe' in what they are passionate about and not just some opinions from people with a computer and an axe to grind.

Thirdly, these writers must also be made to feel appreciated and wanted and their diverse cultural and technological needs and aspirations must not be stamped upon by sometimes less than charitable colleagues with differing views. Helium must be flexibile and strong of mind and spirit. It has changed in the time since I have been writing for it and it will change again, but will it ever truly be an international platform? Let's wait and see if it changes enough to satisfy the demands from the world outside the good old US of A.

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