A Grammar Question for the Digital Age
This post was going to be about the travel equivalent of the little black dress. You know. The indispensable item you throw into your suitcase first, wherever the destination, be it Belize, Boston or Bhopal. The post idea was prompted by an article that appeared the Huffington Post.
That’s where I stopped. I didn’t know whether to fill that blank with “in” or “on”.
If I were referencing an article I’d read in The New York Times, I’d have no problem. But the HuffPost (and Slate and Salon) only exist electronically. Is a click-through the equivalent of a page turn? If so, then I suppose we read articles “in” web-based publications. It just doesn’t feel right, though. I read items “on” a device, whether it’s my iPhone, iPad or MacBook. What’s in my hands is the conduit, not the actual content – never has, never will be. So “on” would appear to be the better choice.
Normally, when confronting grammatical conundrums like this, I’d ask myself “What would Strunk & White do?” [Note to self: trademark WWS&WD, make bracelets, sell to every liberal arts college bookstore to be displayed next to Elements of Style.] Since you’re reading this on/in my blog I’m asking for your assistance with this one. If we can reach consensus, we’ll tackle those other thorny existential issues: chickens, eggs, trees in the forest, etc.