Blogging and Online Identity Management
Blogging and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
Benefits of Corporate Blogging
Since the 1990s, there have been growing discussions of the Internet activism and how new media have been used effectively by a variety of political movements.
In the wake of the September 11 terror attacks and resulting terror war on a global scale, a tide of political activism has risen, with the Internet playing an increasingly central role (Best and Kellner, 2001, in Kahn and Kellner, 2004).
Blogs, which generally meant a personal online diary, have becoming increasingly popular in discussing political issues, especially after the September 11 attack; and many people see blogs as an alternative to traditional media news. This is because ‘bloggers have demonstrated themselves as technoactivists favoring not only democratic self-expression and networking, but also global media critique and journalistic sociopolitical intervention’ (Kahn and Kellner, 2004).
In Hafez’s (1999) article International News Coverage and the Problem of Globalization, he argues that ‘the processing and publication of news through nationally based media systems are shaped by the selection of topics, facts and arguments or frames which often result in diametrically opposed coverage.’
Blogs on the other hand, are not edited, enabling free voices and opinions from the bloggers, which is what makes the blogs unique. And this often results in discussions and debates about a particular topic, and links to other relevant websites to back up their argument or information. As Lee (2004) states that ‘blogs have helped shape the news, focusing on certain issues until they break through the print and broadcast media’s barrier.’ Weiss (2004), has also stated that ‘their distance from professional media, in part, is what give blogs their identity. Bloggers’ voices are often more conversational, and profane, than newspapers or magazine fare.’
A recent survey conducted by Pew Internet and American Life Project has found that an estimated 5 percent of Internet users (or 6 million people) have created a blog, and found that an estimated 17 percent of Internet users (or 22 million people) call themselves blog readers, with 3 percent doing it as part of their daily routine (Lee, 2004). From this we can see that many people, although do not have their own blogs or participate in blog discussions, still engage in reading blogs; and some may also rely on blogs as one of their main sources of news. However, many also argue that blogs should not take place of traditional media, because of lack of supervision.
These types of blogs that engage in political issues can be seen through personal and community blogs, such as Pandagon.net, Anti-USA, and War Must End or Humanity Will. The use of blogs is an example of how new media developments can reconfigure politics and culture, and the way people communicate and interact with each other.
References:
Lee, E. 2004. Blogs Evolve into Sophisticated Force. In Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, Washington: Jul 24. Pp. 1. Available: http://proquest.umi.com.gateway.library.qut.edu.au/pqdlink?Ver=1&Exp=10-22-2009&FMT=3&DID=669116561&RQT=309&clientId=14394 (accessed: 23 October, 2004)
Weiss, J. 2004. Weblogs, Traditional Media Collide in Quest for Democratic Convention Access. In Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, Washington: May 10. Pp. 1. Available: http://proquest.umi.com.gateway.library.qut.edu.au/pqdlink?Ver=1&Exp=10-22-2009&FMT=3&DID=634447401&RQT=309&clientId=14394 (accessed: 23 October, 2004)
Kahn, R., Kellner, D. 2004. New Media and Internet Activism: From the ‘Battle of Seattle’ to Blogging. In New Media and Society, vol. 6, issue 1, pp. 87 – 95.
Hafez, K. 1999. International News and the Problems of Media Globalization. In Abingdon, vol. 12, issue 1, pp. 47.
Bibliography:
Seipp, C. 2002, Online Uprising. Available: http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=2555 (accessed: 23 October. 2004)
Lynn, M. 2004. So What is the Company’s Chief Executive Thinking? See his Blog. In Knight Ridder Tribune Business News, Washington: Sep 5. Pp. 1. Available: http://proquest.umi.com.gateway.library.qut.edu.au/pqdlink?Ver=1&Exp=10-22-2009&FMT=3&DID=689425911&RQT=309&clientId=14394 (accessed: 23 October, 2004)
Links to Related Articles:
GoodspeedUpdate.com: Blogs As New Media
USAToday.com: Freewheeling 'Bloggers' Are Rewriting Rules of Journalism
ComputerWorld.com: Analysis: What Blogs Bring to the Political Arena
LAI Kuan Jung 16:40, 23 Oct 2004 (EST)
