Blogging vs. Mainstream Media… Is it really out with the old and in with the new?

WEEK 4: Russell (et al.) compares elite media and institutions with bloggers and ponders the following question: “Do bloggers, with their editorial independence, collaborative structure and merit-based popularity more effectively inform the public?” (Reader, page 136). Do you agree? Use examples to illustrate your point of view.

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In a society immersed in technology, blogs are without a doubt transforming the online media world (Russell et al., 2008:67). Along with a history littered with propaganda campaigns, it is no wonder we seek an alternative way of receiving the news rather as opposed to just believing what we are fed by other media sources. With increased opportunity for ‘amateur cultural production’ it has blurred the line between professional media produce and amateur media content which creates contradictions between these two sources.

But whom should we listen to? And more importantly where can we find accurate truths?

It is no surprise that blogs are inevitably biased; you would be hard-pressed to find one that is characteristically impartial. Yet isn’t that why we read them? We are curious beings who are eager to know and comment on others’ opinions, and blogging is the perfect outlet for this. It is here where we have the power to debate, rebut and confer with people on a wide scale that has proven to be a thriving past time for many. It is thus no wonder the ‘blogosphere’ has exploded.

Russell (2008) speaks about the power of “Western-trained journalists in middle-eastern countries” on the media world. They are simultaneously criticized by the mainstream media for their lack of professionalism by recounting their stories via blogs, and applauded for their honesty by concerned civilians. As a result these stories leak into mainstream media. They are able to report their war experiences on a public domain along with other citizens who recount the silenced stories of war. Russell attributes this increase in ‘DIY’ media producers to the more readily available Internet access. It is stories like these where people turn to Blogs as they are “immediate, interactive and accessible to anyone who stumbles on a truth the mainstream media, for whatever reason, chooses to ignore” (Brodsky 2005). In this way Blogs perhaps win out over Mainstream Media (MSM) as they fill in the gaps that MSM cannot or will not tell us.

Lets look at Arianna Huffington as an example. Since 2005, when this wealthy socialite decided to challenge mainstream political media, she has created one of the most influential online blogs with a huge band of followers. With recent blogs accumulating over 600 comments, fueling debate and interest worldwide. People relish in the fact they can participate and actively engage in what is happening, ultimately centering this source of online media around the information we want to know about.

Yet how many blogs influence our society as much as mainstream media? What about the less influential blogs, do people really trust what your average Joe has to say? I highly doubt people will become so complacent with blogs that the Channel Ten news will go out of business, because how many blogs are as dramatically influential as the Huffingtonpost? Conversely, Russell suggests that perhaps pre-existing reputable media industries and heading towards “imminent doom”, a statement I find quite overdramatic and exaggerated (Russell et al 2008 p49).

Russell also suggests that the “informal banter” styled writing of blogs is simply a replay of “existing cultural work”. He infers, contrastingly to his other statement, that perhaps bloggers aren’t trying to compete with main stream media at all, but are merely existing as complementary content where the public can clearly understand a more rounded view of topics (Russell et al 2008 p46). Johnathan Deamer, a regular blogger echoes this opinion and describes his own blog as ‘for when proper writing is just too much effort’.

But is it really out with the old and in with new?

Ultimately I have come to the conclusion that yes blogs do effectively inform us, yet it is hard to say whether it is more or less so than elite media. Blogs have without a doubt created a shift in the power balance between the two competing media sources, and have targeted consumer citizens who take pleasure in the right to decide and produce blogs. However, we heavily rely on elite media to keep us up to date with general world affairs, whilst turning to blogs for more select topics targeted for niche interests. It would be impossible for mainstream media to keep us up to date on all topics of interest regularly and effectively.

Therefore I believe that these two competing and often contradicting forms of media, indeed complement and depend on one another, co-existing to effectively inform the public.

MY REFERENCES:

Viewed May 15, 2011 <http://ashotofjd.com/>

Viewed May 14, 2011 <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/>

Brodsky, Ira. February 14, 2005, ‘Blogosphere vs. mainstream media’, viewed  May 15, 2011 <http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/2005/021405brodsky.html>

Russell, A., Ito, M., Richmond, T. and Tuters, M. (2008) ‘Culture: Media Convergence and Networked Culture’ pp. 43-76 in Varnelis, K (ed.) Networked Publics. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.