Posts
Dr. Farman
DTC 375: Language, Texts & Technology
9 April, 2009
Word Count: 1,148
Over the last decade, the widespread use of the internet has drastically changed the way we live our lives. The way people are getting their information is quickly switching to online sources due to their quick accessibility. Blogging is one of the new ways to get opinionated information that you used to have to get from newspaper. No longer do writers have to struggle to get noticed and be published before the world can read their views; now anyone can sign up for a blog spot on any number of different websites and voice their thoughts to the world. Blogging has become a widespread phenomena because of it's ease of use, freedom to say what you want, and reader interaction.
One of the greatest factors into the widespread use of blogging is the ease in which you can make posts. Websites such as www.blogger.com have set templates for people to use that allows them to sign up for an account, type something in, and publish it in minutes. After using the class blog for DTC 375 I can see why many people post on blogs daily; it is extremely easy and you do not feel limited by anything while writing. One of the greatest aspects of the internet is the ability to connect to millions of people around the world from the comfort of your own home, and blogging takes full advantage of that aspect. Never before in the world have average people had the ability to convey their thoughts to so many others that they don't even know. Even professional journalists are getting in on the blog hype. They don't always want to worry about having to wait until the next time their publication goes to print before they can voice their opinion on a breaking topic, so they'll make a blog entry about it. "Monthlies aren't nimble enough to react to breaking events, you want to be out there in the public discussion, building a like-minded audience and building exposure by having other blogs linked to you and your commentary" (Lucas, 5). The use of blogs for this reason as well as for average people to display their opinions alongside professionals and critique them has allowed the number of active blogs to reach enormous numbers. The exact number is debated, "Technorati.com cites more than 1.2 million blogs of record. Others, like Wolff, cite upwards of 4 million people blogging on the Web today" (Lucas, 3).
Another reason blogs are so popular is because you have the freedom to say whatever you want. The internet is known to give people a certain anonymity when they use it, and blogs have gained that feeling as well. Even though your name is on it, you do not always feel like you are typing to hundreds of millions of people when you make a post. You are safe behind your computer screen, and are therefore more inclined to really speak your mind about a topic that you might have held back on if you were speaking in a public place. In some countries, such as Iran, media is censored before it is released to the public, and blogging is often the only way to really get the truth heard. Asieh Amini writes in his article about the censorship issues in Iran:
"At first, journalists were extremely guarded about what they wrote, even online. But that soon changed. As official pressure on the print media increased, daily papers were threatened with closure, and the fear of arrest and imprisonment spread among journalists and activists. Blogs have become our major source of news and information" (34).
Even professional media in the United States is limited by the expectations of their sponsors, so they do not always want to put something on the air that could possibly be offensive, making them censored in their own way. Blogs do not have this issue and therefore can pick up on controversial stories and comment on them. Lucas gives the example in his article of the racial comments that Senator Trent Lott made at Senator Strom Thurmond's birthday celebration, and how the mainstream media did not pick up on the story: "It just kind of flew under the radar. But the bloggers started asking questions and discussing it. And because most bloggers don't rely on access for their livelihood, there's no taboo about discussing certain topics" (5).
Blogging also introduces a level of interaction that is really not available to any other form of mass media. A person can post a blog and in minutes people can read the article and then comment on it, allowing the author to revise their view or at least easily have access to other viewpoints. Many authors enjoy this aspect, which allows them to connect with their readers much more personally than if they were writing for a newspaper and only getting written letters or email responses long after the article was written. "My blog puts me in much closer touch with my readers. The blog has been a fabulous way for me to have a conversation with them. They let me know when I'm wrong and when they agree with me" (Lucas, 5). Lucas also gives some examples of how newspapers such as the Boston Globe or the website for the television network, CNN, have discussion forums set up for their readers and listeners to respond to stories that they are speaking about. By doing this they are trying to use old forms of media to get advantages of the new forms such as blogs. Some publications have even been created online completely, with a type of blog format, allowing readers to go to the website and read published stories and comment on them instantly after they are posted.
Blogging is still a relatively new form of communication, and a large percentage of people don't even know what a blog is still, so who knows where it could end up once more and more people start participating in the blogosphere. Blogging emerged as an evolution of the newspaper article, allowing users to voice opinions or publish stories on their own and still have millions of people with access to it. The facts that blogging is easy to use, allows you to say whatever you want, and allows a large interaction between reader and author has made it very unique in it's own way. Online media is still evolving, and like how the Gutenberg printing press revolutionized print media, blogging is doing the same, digitally.
Works Cited
Amini, Asieh. "Battle of the Blogs." New Statesman 137.4913 (2008): 34-35. EBSCOhost. Local University Library Service, Washington State University Lib. 9 Apr. 2009.
Lucas, Andi. "Learning to Ride the Big Blog Boom." Seybold Report: Analyzing Publishing Technologies 3.16 (2003): 3-7.
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