Before J201, I never gave much credit to blogs. Blogging was something for the computer-savvy, technoholics that could figure out the World Wide Web. Now that I’m a blogger and have further explored the medium, I can see why some people claim it to be the future of mass media, as the web now plays such a prevalent part in all our lives.
This week I read an article on Blogging as a channel for commercial advertising titled Ad Shift Throws Blogs a Business Lifeline. I have no doubt companies will continue finding new and different ways to promote their products online. Marketing on Blogs, an up-and-coming, go-to resource makes total sense. Perhaps blog advertisement will become what television commercials are today.
Advertising I can understand, but to think Blogging could be the future of journalism makes me cringe a little. I won’t venture to say that current journalistic work is without bias, but the Blog format invites people to spew personal opinions. The simplicity of blogging permits more people to contribute to conversation, yet at the same time, share their prejudices.
So can we be convinced that blogging is the answer to our journalistic problems? I don’t think so because being a blogger does not automatically make you as a journalist. Maybe a wannabe journalist, but not a legitimate, truth-seeking, neutral journalist (Do those even exist? Idk.). An uninformed reader might trust an article written on the North Pole by Joe Schmoe, a firm Santa believer, and become convinced St. Nick resides in the cold snows of the Arctic.
With that said, I think blogging will have a future in the media—whether we like it or not. The Internet is now vital to media and our daily lives. It would be extremely naïve to say that blogging, an open forum for the entire world to participate in, isn’t going to catch on. It already has.
I agree that blogging gives too much freedom to writers. Their posts might be too bias and full of personal opinion.
ReplyDeleteI like you Santa metaphor :]
agree with you. blogging might be the future of media but its dangerous to totally trust bloggers.
ReplyDeleteBlogging definitely is taking over parts of media and will continue to do so clear into the future. It has become so appealing to people as a way to voice their opinions and seek those that have similar points of view. Though I may have hated on blogging before this assignment I can now see where people get their love for it. Its a great way to connect with those that seek the same information as yourself. However I do also agree with you that bloggers can not be considered journalist. They do not relay information in an attempt to be neutral rather bloggers seek to voice an opinion that they may hold on an issue. So while I think blogging will be around, it will not be for a journalistic purpose.
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