The term “blog” is one that has continually evolved since its initial existence. The first blogs were called “weblogs” and the term was eventually shortened to “blog” as the cultural definition of the word changed and was eventually included in the Oxford English Dictionary as, “A frequently updated website consisting of personal observations, excerpts from other sources, etc., typically run by a single person, and usually with hyperlinks to other sites; an online journal or diary” (Rettberg 34).
As blogs transformed into what we define blogs as today, it “[opened] up publishing to regular people” (Rettburg 12). This is true with social media as well, especially with sites like Twitter and Facebook where anyone can be an author and publish private and personal information for the whole world to see. An online diarist, Carolyn Burke, who Rettburg mentions in her book, talks about how blogging allowed for people to freely expose their lives for the first time. Rettburg describes this saying, “The early years of the web were characterized by utopianism and optimism: finally, everybody would be able to communicate freely” (Rettburg 12). This was an amazing phenomenon in the early years of the web but as blogs have expanded and changed it is important to consider what the results are. What happens when people can freely communicate and expose their inner lives? Are people really being open and honest or is the system abused at times?
Rettburg discusses the rapidity with which blogging became a large part of social media culture: “These figures are astounding in demonstrating the eagerness of humanity to communicate. In 2008, the term ‘social media’ was adopted and rapidly entered the mainstream as a broad category that describes the online many-to-many communication” (Rettburg 13). Miller and Shepherd recognize two themes of this blogging that is omnipresent in today’s culture, “self-expression and community development” (Miller/Shepherd). These themes are what fuel the masses to blog and the even bigger masses to consume blogs, but the intent from bloggers and expectations of blog readers has been largely debated.
As the “eagerness of humanity to communicate” has led to the transformation of what we consider to be blogging today, the intent to both cultivate the self and to provide for the public has created a unique and vast medium that is a genre of its own.
Blogging has largely begun to intersect with journalism. Bloggers have the ability to give first-hand accounts of events around the world, to tell stories, and to follow and filter mainstream media and news. Rettburg offers a description of how this differs from journalism: “…central tenet of journalism: the expectation that journalists are reliable and tell the truth objectively…” (Rettburg 93). Because bloggers do not follow the same guidelines as journalists, their writing is subjective and offers no guarantee of the truth. This causes concern over what happens when telling the truth isn't enforced, but Rettburg offers statistics that show this may not actually be very concerning to the majority of blog readers when she says, “In this survey, 61.4 per cent of respondents stated that they read blogs because there was ‘more honesty’, while 50.3 per cent found the ‘transparent biases’ of blogs an important factor in their choice to read blogs” (Rettburg 98). These statistics are surprising and beg the question of how much we actually trust journalism and how and why bloggers are creating this sense of trust and validity in their readers.
The article by Miller and Shepherd takes a different stance on blogging, saying, “The blog-as-genre is a contemporary contribution to the art of the self” (Miller/Shepherd). This article largely focuses on how individual bloggers are more concerned with self validation and exposing their private lives than with the complex rhetorical situations that their blogs are creating when they are read by the masses. Miller and Shepherd provide proof for this stance on blogging intentions when they say, “Because the personal form of the blog is what seems to both motivate and satisfy the readers and writers of blogs and thus to have particular evolutionary survival value, we suspect that the generic exigence that motivates bloggers is related less to the need for information than to the self and the relations between selves” (Miller/Shepherd). This focus on the self rather than the result of how the information will be interpreted by large audiences has created a “mediated identity” according to Miller and Shepherd. Being able to cultivate the self in such a public setting is something unique to blogging and this is what caused the resulting genre of the blog. This genre can be broken down into many things, as the vast definition of what a blog actually is has been previously mentioned. However, this definition of the blog as its own genre accurately showcases how central the self is to the world of blogging.
The ability of the world to so freely expose their inner lives has had many positive and negative results. Miller and Shepherd’s article refers to several examples at the beginning in which bloggers were initially unaware of the large audience that their writing received and this often did not end how they wanted. There are also positive aspects when bloggers build their fan base and credibility and can deliver fast and first-person views of world events like the Virginia Tech shooting or the War in Iraq in ways that journalism can not.
The worldwide use of social media, which is very similar to blogging in a micro sense, may continue to change the way we view and utilize blogging. What are the results of this free communication? And what will be the results of anyone being able to expose their inner lives?
Miller, Carolyn R. and Dawn Shepherd. “Blogging as Social Action: A Genre Analysis of the Weblog.” Into the Blogosphere [Rhetoric, Community, and Culture of Weblogs]. North Carolina State University. Web. 14 September 2014.
Rettburg, Jill Walker. Blogging: Digital Media and Society Series. Cambirdge, 2014. Print.
As blogs transformed into what we define blogs as today, it “[opened] up publishing to regular people” (Rettburg 12). This is true with social media as well, especially with sites like Twitter and Facebook where anyone can be an author and publish private and personal information for the whole world to see. An online diarist, Carolyn Burke, who Rettburg mentions in her book, talks about how blogging allowed for people to freely expose their lives for the first time. Rettburg describes this saying, “The early years of the web were characterized by utopianism and optimism: finally, everybody would be able to communicate freely” (Rettburg 12). This was an amazing phenomenon in the early years of the web but as blogs have expanded and changed it is important to consider what the results are. What happens when people can freely communicate and expose their inner lives? Are people really being open and honest or is the system abused at times?
Rettburg discusses the rapidity with which blogging became a large part of social media culture: “These figures are astounding in demonstrating the eagerness of humanity to communicate. In 2008, the term ‘social media’ was adopted and rapidly entered the mainstream as a broad category that describes the online many-to-many communication” (Rettburg 13). Miller and Shepherd recognize two themes of this blogging that is omnipresent in today’s culture, “self-expression and community development” (Miller/Shepherd). These themes are what fuel the masses to blog and the even bigger masses to consume blogs, but the intent from bloggers and expectations of blog readers has been largely debated.
As the “eagerness of humanity to communicate” has led to the transformation of what we consider to be blogging today, the intent to both cultivate the self and to provide for the public has created a unique and vast medium that is a genre of its own.
Blogging has largely begun to intersect with journalism. Bloggers have the ability to give first-hand accounts of events around the world, to tell stories, and to follow and filter mainstream media and news. Rettburg offers a description of how this differs from journalism: “…central tenet of journalism: the expectation that journalists are reliable and tell the truth objectively…” (Rettburg 93). Because bloggers do not follow the same guidelines as journalists, their writing is subjective and offers no guarantee of the truth. This causes concern over what happens when telling the truth isn't enforced, but Rettburg offers statistics that show this may not actually be very concerning to the majority of blog readers when she says, “In this survey, 61.4 per cent of respondents stated that they read blogs because there was ‘more honesty’, while 50.3 per cent found the ‘transparent biases’ of blogs an important factor in their choice to read blogs” (Rettburg 98). These statistics are surprising and beg the question of how much we actually trust journalism and how and why bloggers are creating this sense of trust and validity in their readers.
The article by Miller and Shepherd takes a different stance on blogging, saying, “The blog-as-genre is a contemporary contribution to the art of the self” (Miller/Shepherd). This article largely focuses on how individual bloggers are more concerned with self validation and exposing their private lives than with the complex rhetorical situations that their blogs are creating when they are read by the masses. Miller and Shepherd provide proof for this stance on blogging intentions when they say, “Because the personal form of the blog is what seems to both motivate and satisfy the readers and writers of blogs and thus to have particular evolutionary survival value, we suspect that the generic exigence that motivates bloggers is related less to the need for information than to the self and the relations between selves” (Miller/Shepherd). This focus on the self rather than the result of how the information will be interpreted by large audiences has created a “mediated identity” according to Miller and Shepherd. Being able to cultivate the self in such a public setting is something unique to blogging and this is what caused the resulting genre of the blog. This genre can be broken down into many things, as the vast definition of what a blog actually is has been previously mentioned. However, this definition of the blog as its own genre accurately showcases how central the self is to the world of blogging.
The ability of the world to so freely expose their inner lives has had many positive and negative results. Miller and Shepherd’s article refers to several examples at the beginning in which bloggers were initially unaware of the large audience that their writing received and this often did not end how they wanted. There are also positive aspects when bloggers build their fan base and credibility and can deliver fast and first-person views of world events like the Virginia Tech shooting or the War in Iraq in ways that journalism can not.
The worldwide use of social media, which is very similar to blogging in a micro sense, may continue to change the way we view and utilize blogging. What are the results of this free communication? And what will be the results of anyone being able to expose their inner lives?
Miller, Carolyn R. and Dawn Shepherd. “Blogging as Social Action: A Genre Analysis of the Weblog.” Into the Blogosphere [Rhetoric, Community, and Culture of Weblogs]. North Carolina State University. Web. 14 September 2014.
Rettburg, Jill Walker. Blogging: Digital Media and Society Series. Cambirdge, 2014. Print.
Social media and the personal blog have made it possible for amateur writers to get their name out there, get published more, and eventually get hired. Advancements in blogging have made it possible for writers of our generation to live their dreams.
ReplyDeleteIn respect to your question: What happens when people can freely communicate and expose their inner lives? Are people really being open and honest or is the system abused at times?
I believe when people expose their inner lives they have the potential to help others. For example, if a blogger has been through a trouble in their life and communicates it online, other people who are struggling can read it and feel comfort that they are not alone. In this way exposing yourself publicly is positive.
Of course, sometimes social media is abused. Every day people post things that are detrimental to their reputations. But as far as those who filter what they post in an honest way, they can make a huge difference in their own life (and other people's lives as well!).
As far as humanity's eagerness to communicate- share the knowledge and we'll all be better off for it.