Blog Power
The blog is one of the more interesting trends on the web. There are so many people out there that have an opinion - they do say an opinion’s like an a**hole, everyone’s got one and they all stink - and the web provides a means for these individuals to express their opinion and debate the opinion of others. As long as this is done in a healthy and positive manner, the blog and blogosphere will probably maintainĀ? the positive and beneficial role that it currently fills. The problem will be if people lose touch with reality, and get caught up in their own, small blogworld.
Blogs are powerful. MostĀ? bloggers are aware of the Kryptonite bike lock fiasco, and then there was the sway that bloggers had in bringing down Sam Bulte. But it’s important that we realize for every good blog, there’s at least one bad blog. The influence of words is huge, and blogs can be used to target those who are vulnerable and looking for direction. One of the first thoughts would be terrorism or religious fanatics and extremists. It would be more than believable that someone looking in those areas could easily find something, and a blog could easily be written to help sway those on the fence. Someone young and confused is easy to direct down a path they might otherwise choose to avoid.
This isn’t something that your average marketing company doesn’t try daily through standard forms of media. The difference is a blogosphere is difficult to regulate on almost any level. We obviously believe in freedom of speech and the rights of individuals to express themselves without fear of repression, and to believe that any agency could monitor blogs effectively enough to prevent these types of blogs is ridiculous. What becomes more important is to provide so much unbiased and/or positiveĀ? information as to dilute the negative messages that may be present, but is that enough?
Individuals who are “lost” are going to find what they ultimately seek. Answers, for the most part. Members of the Internet community play a big part in regulating the available answers, and it’s important that we remember that. If something racist appeared on Wikipedia, I don’t think it would take long to be noticed and reported, and even if it couldn’t be removed immediately, the word should be spread far and wide to pressure these types of propaganda to be removed. It isn’t the classic good vs evil battle that pop culture is all too familiar with, but the power of the blog can be used in many ways. Those who participate do have a responsibility, and it’s important that we all accept that.
So how does this relate to Web 2.0, our typical topic? At this point, there is still an underlying purity in blogging, and it is easy to overlook the future of blogging. After watching poor Mr. Arrington get crucified, I started to think about the bigger picture of blogging. I realized that weI participate in such a small slice of the blogosphere - so what else is out there? It’s almostĀ? too scary to consider.