Gone are the days when we relied solely upon the select few to provide us with information, entertain our thoughts or influence our actions. Then again, never has our zest for such things and the ease of its accesibility been as prevalent as it is today. Enter the blogging world, an interface where thoughts are read and expressed, treating Us with the latest by Us.
As of 2008, statistics indicate that close to 185 million people around the globe own a blog (Technorati Inc 2008), clear enough evidence that the blogging phenomenon will not lose its steam anytime soon. There are blogs for every category of interest and what's best, bloggers are neutral and interpersonal, rarely motivated by interests other than to inform and share their experiences.
In Malaysia for instance, blogs are often used politically, serving as the 'alternative voices' since mainstream media is tightly governed by laws restricting free speech. In many ways, these regulations have only allowed bloggers to eclipse the mainstream media as our primary source of information, epitomizing the whole concept of 'new media'.
Some would call this the era of citizen journalism, although blogs are still most popularly used for personal reasons (79% of total are personal bloggers according to Technorati 2008). Nevertheless, the views expressed in these entries are beneficial to us in many ways. They make us laugh, sometimes even cry, they make us go gaga over the latest celebrity gossips, and they make us brim with envy seeing the beautiful lives of others. But most importantly, blogs are knitting us together in ways never before imaginable, for better, or for worse.
Reference:
Technorati Inc 2008, State of the blogosphere 2008, viewed 13 June 2009.
URL: http://technorati.com/blogging/state-of-the-blogosphere
As of 2008, statistics indicate that close to 185 million people around the globe own a blog (Technorati Inc 2008), clear enough evidence that the blogging phenomenon will not lose its steam anytime soon. There are blogs for every category of interest and what's best, bloggers are neutral and interpersonal, rarely motivated by interests other than to inform and share their experiences.
In Malaysia for instance, blogs are often used politically, serving as the 'alternative voices' since mainstream media is tightly governed by laws restricting free speech. In many ways, these regulations have only allowed bloggers to eclipse the mainstream media as our primary source of information, epitomizing the whole concept of 'new media'.
Some would call this the era of citizen journalism, although blogs are still most popularly used for personal reasons (79% of total are personal bloggers according to Technorati 2008). Nevertheless, the views expressed in these entries are beneficial to us in many ways. They make us laugh, sometimes even cry, they make us go gaga over the latest celebrity gossips, and they make us brim with envy seeing the beautiful lives of others. But most importantly, blogs are knitting us together in ways never before imaginable, for better, or for worse.
Reference:
Technorati Inc 2008, State of the blogosphere 2008, viewed 13 June 2009.
URL: http://technorati.com/blogging/state-of-the-blogosphere
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