Patricia Park
LIS 391 – Final Paper
Section A1 – Bruce
May 04, 2004
Web Logs: A Promise for the Future?
The phenomenon of weblogging has been increasingly gaining momentum since
the early nineties, infiltrating the daily lives and the consciousness of individuals,
communities, and corporations alike. The number of new bloggers joining the blogging
community in a month period amount to the tens of thousands. It is now becoming a
pervasive force within cyberspace, significantly impacting every Internet user with or
without their knowledge. The current flurry of debate revolving around blogs focus on
whether or not they can be considered a new media revolution or merely a passing fad.
To seriously address this question however, one must first define what web logs are and
establish its major uses today. In addition, a meaningful examination of its impact as a
social software is necessary, taking into account not only the narrower field of individual
experiences but the broader societal impact as well. So what is the future of weblogging,
in this vast Internet mediascape? Is it just a passing fad? But first, a brief definition of
web logs.
A basic definition of web logs is described as a link-driven, frequently updated
website, with posts arranged in reverse chronological order so that the newest entries are
always at the top. The content within each site differs upon an individual’s personal
interests and includes a varying mixture of links, commentary, viewer responses,
graphics, etc. They can usually be designed as a website using html or any other code or
through the usage of blogging software such as Blogger, Xanga, and LiveJournal which
easily enable potential bloggers to edit and publish their own blogs quickly and
effortlessly.
Who are the most likely to be blogging? According to the findings by the Pew
Internet & American Life Project, in a survey conducted in early 2004, revealed that there
are primarily three distinct groups that can be distinguished as “content creators” online,
including blogs, web sites, and other forms of Internet activity. The three groups are
“power creators,” “older creators” and “content omnivores.” The group most likely to be
blogging are actually individuals within the “power creators” group whose average age is
25 years old, and are more enthusiastic about content-creating activities that also include
and are not limited to, messaging, playing games, downloading music, and blogging.
This group is generally “highly educated and more urban and suburban than the average
American.”
The original web logs (defined in this paper as before the Blogger explosion), and
to a large extent current blogs were and are link driven sites. Hypertext is fundamental
aspect in the practice of blogging as it contextualizes and adds a new dimension to the
information posted onto the site. In addition, original web logs evolved from a more
web-based broader focus in favor of a more personal diary-like format. Regularly
updated, sometimes multiple times in one day, these sites often include personal journal
entries that can be reflective on a specific topic, perhaps politics, or that can be deeply
intense and private. More importantly, the links within a blog can often be found to lead
to virtually thousands of other web logs, in which various levels of interactive debates
and conversations occur:
Full-blown conversations were carried on between three or five blogs […]
Cults of personality sprung up as new blogs appeared […] It was, and is,
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fascinating to see new bloggers position themselves in this community,
referencing and reacting to those blogs they read most, their sidebar and
affirmation of the tribe to which they wish to belong” (Blood, 2000).
Web logs, therefore, like AIM and Peer-to-Peer technologies are often viewed as social
software.
A good definition by Steven Boyd states that social software provides “support
for conversational interaction between individuals and groups,” including real-time and
slow-time, “support for social feedback,” which allows for contributions and feedback
from others, and “support for social networks,” to aid in the explicit creation and
management of any network of relationships both social or business (Boyd, 2003). In
terms of individual impact, this broad social network can be an invaluable source of
information, stimulation, entertainment, and identity. Here is a graphical representation
of the type of social networks that can be built through the blogging community: (or visit
this site at http://blog-network.ryze.com/).
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For an example of a blog that follows a personal journal format but that also contains all
the elements needed to be considered a blog, visit http://www.xanga.com/nsync_lover.
First take notice of the reverse chronological ordered postings. Also take notice that
following each posting, the audience is able to post his or her thoughts as a comment
which can then offshoot as a debate or a conversation. With this particular software,
there is also another option called “eprops,” or electronic-props, that can be given out (in
one or two increments), that it is basically equivalent to an electronic form of approval.
Finally as mentioned before, links are a pivotal aspect of blogs, which can be seen
scattered throughout the site. In particular, the ones that hold significance are located on
the left side that link to other individuals’ web logs and blogrings, which are more
specific smaller communities bloggers create and maintain. It is this that creates a sense
of community and identity with others in their respective group, or as Blood describes it,
“the tribe to which they wish to belong” (Blood, 2000). Individuals who blog may find
writing their personal thoughts not only cathartic, but having them read and responded to
by the masses quite affirming and self-satisfying.
On a broader scale, and in terms of the societal impact that blogs make, there have
been arguments that social software such as those listed above have undeniably become
great literacy and communication tools that serve to make the world into a global village,
where vast and global networks are instantly accessible through wires and satellites.
Blogs in particular have been hailed as a new type of participatory media (Blood, 2000)
that not only fosters community but also represents a “rebirth of participatory
democracy” (Dunlop, 2002) and the creation of a sphere in which public intellectuals can
flourish. On the other hand, there has also been a wild storm of anti-blogging ethos that
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argues that blogging will actually have a negative impact on democratic public discourse.
To truly understand this debate, one must further clarify how blogs are currently being
used, aside from the traditional online-diary form that is prevalent throughout the
mediascape.
Not unsurprisingly, web logs have penetrated beyond the single individual and on
towards organizations, companies, and whole professions and industries. An interesting
web log named warblogging.com (http://www.warblogging.com), is a perfect example of
an organization blog that is dedicated to the distribution of the latest news and updates
about the war and our current issues with Iraq. Similarly like the personal blog viewed
earlier, it also allows for commenting on posts that flourishes into full-fledged debates
and conversations. The posts generate at least about a 100 comments per post, which
depict a high readership of this particular blog. Political consultants, educational
institutions, lawyers, etc have all found blogs vitally useful to their particular group. To a
larger scale, the whole industry of publishing and journalism has been significantly
impacted by the surging popularity of web logs. Which leads us to another crucial point
of debate that is currently raging in reference to blogs.
With the rising recognition of web logs and other informal mediums of
publishing, there is a deep fear with some that blogs are fundamentally threatening
traditional news reporting and that it is a new form of journalism that the general public
will increasingly come to rely on. A currently ongoing bet between David Winer, a
pioneer in the whole blogging phenomenon, and Martin Nisenholtz of the New York
Times, directly puts this debate into direct confrontation. The two opposing viewpoints
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are as follows. Winer proposes that by the year 2007, blogs will supersede more
traditional news mediums as a primary source of information:
But the Web has taught us to expect more information, not less, and that's
the sea-change that the NY Times and other big publications face -- how
to remain relevant in the face of a population that can do for themselves
what the BigPubs won't […] the tide has turned, and in five years, the
publishing world will have changed so thoroughly that informed people
will look to amateurs they trust for the information they want.
(www.longbets.org/2, 2002)
Advocates of Winer’s argument truly believe that blogs will have a lasting impact on
traditional American mediascape, hailing it as a true form of participatory democracy.
The new age of information access and dissemination have spurred the creation of tools
that allows everyone to be their own publisher, without the high barriers to entry, without
the censoring, and all without the expectation of any financial gain. Unheard voices have
become accessible in ways that was never possible before, thereby aiding in the
establishment of an informed and empowered public. Peer-to-peer journalism,
participatory media, these are the other names that blogging has assumed.
On the
opposing side, Nisenholtz argues that blogs cannot replace traditional news reporting
because, “Readers need a source of information that is unbiased, accurate, and coherent.
New organizations like the Times can provide that far more consistently than private
parties can” (www.longbets.org/2, 2002). Proponents of Nisenholtz’ claim argue that
blogging is 1) not original, investigative reporting, 2) that amateur “journalists” who
publish in the blogosphere are in no way obligated to publish accurately and without
personal bias, and 3) that blogging will encourage the polarization of ideas because the
seemingly unlimited amount of voices offered in cyberspace will merely tempt
individuals to surround themselves with the voices that echoes their own (so rather than
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the much vaunted democratization of ideas, the result would be a polarization of ideas
instead). Both sides of the arguments are compelling and hint at possible futures; but can
an accurate prediction be made?
Perhaps there is a tentative answer that the future of blogging does not lie on
either of the two extremes, but rather somewhere in between. It is undeniable that web
logs are increasingly gaining momentum within individual users but as well with larger
corporations/institutions/industries etc. However, as Nisenholtz further argues, blogs and
traditional news reporting are not mutually exclusive and in that sense, BigPubs such as
New York Times will be able to adapt and incorporate new technologies such as web
logs into their future repertoire. And in the need for public forums so that citizens can
voice their opinions and participate actively in the country’s dialogue, blogs provide a
vital service. Dunlop, in his article “If You Build it They Will Come,” recalls the punk
rock phenomenon as a “shaking fist” at the “pretentious, bloated ‘progressive’ thing that
rock music had become” and equates blogs as a similar phenomenon that is currently
shaking the traditional media system. However, he recognizes that punk rock, just as
blogging, is not without its faults and qualifies that statement with:
Now, we all know that punk rock produced its fair share of charlatans and
pretenders, elevated no-talents to underserved heights […] But we also
know that it provided a welcome injection of enthusiasm and democratic
participation to an industry that was growing moribund, and it produced
some lasting quality. (2002)
Web logs will not fade away, but nor will it totally uproot the traditional systems that our
society was built on. What people can hope for however, in the future development of
blogs, is that they will improve on what it does best, providing a voice all individuals,
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and as well, work towards opening ourselves up to new voices and perspectives that may
be unfamiliar but that challenges pre-established modes of thinking.
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Works Cited
Blood, Rebecca. Rebecca’s Pocket. Accessed February 23, 2004
http://www.rebeccablood.net/
Boyd, Stowe. “Are You Ready for Social Software?” Darwin May 1, 2003. February 26,
2004. http://www.darwinmag.com/read/050103/social.html
Dube, Jonathon. “Blogs Still Rare But Foster Community.” CyberJournalist February 29,
2004. February 29, 2004 http://www.cyberjournalist.net/news/001008.php
Dube, Jonathon. “Nisenholtz: Blogs Will Have Growing Impact.” CyberJournalist June
23, 2003. February 29, 2004 http://www.cyberjournalist.net/news/000483.php
Dunlop, Tim. “If You Build It They Will Come.” Evatt Foundation. April 14, 2004.
http://evatt.labor.net.au/publications/papers/91.html
Everett-Lane, Mike and Hiraldo, Liz. nyc bloggers Accessed February 29, 2004
http://www.nycbloggers.com/
Hiler, John. “Blogs As Disruptive Tech.” WebCrimson June 20, 2002. February 26, 2004
http://www.webcrimson.com/ourstories/blogsdisruptivetech.htm
Hiler, John. “Google Loves Blogs.” Microcontent News. February 26, 2002. February 26,
2004. http://www.microcontentnews.com/articles/googleblogs.htm
Jesdanun, Anick. “Web Journals Make Media, Activist Impact.” BizReport January 23,
2004. February 26, 2004 http://www.bizreport.com/article.php?art_id=6005
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