Blawging About Blawgs

1. Given what you’ve read thus far and what you know, what do you think about blogs and blogging? What appeals? What repels? Why? Analogies? Metaphors?

2. Do you think social and/or political and/or personal and/or aesthetic consequences of blogs and blogging are significant? Do blogs change the world? If so, in what ways. If not, why not?

Blogs are overrated in much the same way that the internet itself is overrated. Blogs have the ability to transcend typical political or economic or social barriers. Anyone can freely self-publish – and the potential audience far dwarfs traditional markets of, for instance, print media. But potential doesn’t necessitate actual change, and the idea that blogs might democratize or revolutionize free speech remains a simple wet-dream of a Western tech-savvy elite.

Blogging and the rest of “Web 2.0″ is primarily concerned with interactivity, of slick design and [often irrelevant] content. Examples can be found by the dozen: MySpace, YouTube, various blogging and photo websites. And to be sure, the majority of these users aren’t the elite – they’re those most readily able to adapt and realize the potential of new technology. The youth. But as they jump on the interactive bandwagon, they use the technology as they see fit. This means, instead of using the new web to revolutionize free speech or diversify public dialogue, it’s used for the trite and trivial – the bread and butter of our day-to-day existence. Bitching about relationships or making arrangements for the weekend.

Blogging today seems less about free speech and expanding the public discourse and more about exhibitionism and flaunting our individualism. We’re all unique snowflakes and there must be an audience that wants to read about our vapid, insecure lives, damnit.