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BLOGWARS: An Overview. By: Jon Rittenberg and Jasmyne Spencer. Mass Communication. How did we communicate pre-technology?. How do we communicate now?. Now. Ancient Egyptians posted hieroglyphics Letters/Messengers Word of Mouth Speeches Pamphlets. Pre-Tech.
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BLOGWARS: An Overview By: Jon Rittenberg and Jasmyne Spencer
Mass Communication How did we communicate pre-technology? How do we communicate now?
Now • Ancient Egyptians posted hieroglyphics • Letters/Messengers • Word of Mouth • Speeches • Pamphlets Pre-Tech
Blogs Are Unique! • Hyperlinking structure creates the nonlinear, endless jumping about and instant feedback that previous technologies from cave paintings to television simply could not. • Broadcasters & Receivers vs. Broadcasters alone • Although blogs are unique, they are not a complete game-changer How are they different?
More on Unique! • The short-to-medium length essay, the post. • Comments are very important • Not meant to be one stop journeys • Blogs are extremely personal
The Political Blog • A personal commentary on nonpersonal events, issues and ideas • A site for interaction, a spawning ground for for activism • A vessel for wrath • Inspire change in the media including politics, campaigns and elections and have turned the traditional dynamics of the media-producer-media consumer relationship on its head Main Elements as we know them today
Different Political Blogs • Daily Kos - Progressive Blog • Red State – Conservative Blog
The Political Blog • Allow interaction between individuals that could inturn accrete common knowledge, activism, recruit others, and march, virtually, toward a goal • Form SMART MOBS like Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the Sierra Club • Blogs allow us to recode data instead of just decoding it. • There is a hierarchy of bloggers i.e. DailyKos and RedState
Composition of U.S. Bloggers • Annual household income of $75,000 or more • Post-Grads • Readers are more often males with the exception of Poland and Japan • “Tech Optimists” • Influentials within their community
Criticism to Politcal Blogging • Blogging as a “people’s medium” • Recycle and chew on the news • Not taken seriously
Political Blogs: Dividers or Unifiers? Lada Adamic and Natalie Glance political blog links DIVIDERS • Balkanization effect of political blogging • “cyberapartheid” • Split the nation, not unite it • Right wing blogs only link to other right wing blogs, same with left wing blogs
Political Blogs: Dividers or Unifiers? Argument aganist • When facing off against enemies people become comrades of the trenches and may use online resources to interact with each other • America has never been an objective place yet democracy still exists • A Pew study relates that people who seek political information online are more likely to be exposed to contrarian political data. • No blood has been spilled over blogs
Chapter 3: The Ascent of Blogs • December 1997- Blogs are born • 1999- The act of blogging emerges • 2003-2004- Blogs make the news • 2005-2006 - Blogs begin to diversify
Things to think About • Are blogs causing a media revolution or are they a passing fad? • Have there been any new developments in the blogosphere since Perlmutter’s article was published in 2007? • Do you think political blogs are dividing or uniting our nation?