The past decade or so has seen an increase in the number of blogs and bloggers. There has also been an increase in the number of people wishing to have their own personal identity on the Internet and a way of communicating with the rest of the world. This is largely because of the explosion in the number of people who have access and availability to the Internet. Blogging provides an easy, simple way of communicating and connecting with others. It also allows people to hear the voices and opinions of others in different countries [1]. In June 2008, Technorati performed a count of the number of blogs written in English that made at least one post in that month. The number of active blogs totaled 2,261,185, with 48% of respondents living in North America [2]. Partly because of the ease with which people could post their thoughts, many people regard blogging as useless and as a waste of time. Over the course of time however, blogging is slowly starting to be seen as more acceptable, useful, and important.
There are distinct genres of blogs: personal, political, professional, and corporate to name a few. For the purpose of this paper, the focus will be on personal and political blogs. A political blog is one that comments on politics. It is the main source of communication for people in countries where criticism against the government is not encouraged or tolerated [3]. However, reports indicate that of the total number of bloggers, 79% report being personal bloggers [2]. The reason many people adopt a personal blog is because it allows them to fulfill certain needs as indicated by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs [4]. It also allows them a way to interact and communicate with others and is an excellent use of Freud’s Talking Therapy [5]. Bloggers have also been able to change the lives of people reading their blogs and have been able to communicate to a broader audience [6][7]. Blogging is indeed important, and benefits both society and individuals.
Political Blogging
Increasingly, people are becoming more mistrustful of information printed in newspapers and magazines. This is because some governments monitor journalists and publications who report on volatile issues. This is especially true in countries where the government does not want its people to criticize and question the decisions made and laws passed [3]. In order to broadcast the reality of the situation, many people are using blogs as a medium to communicate the truth.
Cuba is currently under communist rule. The president, Fidel Castro, on his eightieth birthday in 2006, was praised by Gabriel Marcel Parquez and Hugo Chavez. The former is a Nobel prize-winning novelist and the latter is the Venezuelan president. Both congratulated Castro on his ability to answer the questions and criticisms of his people, and praised the lack of repression [1]. The reality however, is that people are disappearing for questioning Castro or speaking out against him. The newspapers present Castro in a positive light and have nothing but praise for him. People are starving and struggling to make a living, but the news that travels to the rest of the world says otherwise [1]. A United Nations envoy, in 2007, praised Cuba for adequately feeding its people [1], even when it was revealed in 2006, that people were starving to death [8]. It is difficult in Cuba to gain access to an Internet connection, thanks in part to America. In 2006, US Internet service providers were instructed to not provide services to Cuba [1]. Even under great supervision however, a few maintain blogs and post regularly [1]. Mainstream media continues to mislead readers about the reality of the situation in Cuba, but the truth is slowly trickling out through blogs [1].
In November 2009, UC students gathered at the UCLA campus to protest a proposed 32% tuition hike. Riot police were called in by the University shortly after the peaceful demonstrators arrived. Police were armed with tasers, guns, and pepper spray. When students attempted to enter a building to speak with the president, police restricted access. Previously, students had been informed that a few individuals would be allowed to speak to the president and the board. At least one student was arrested [9], and others reported minor injuries which included being tased and pepper sprayed. However, none of this was reported by the LA Times [10]. Students documented their experiences on blogs, through which this information was made available. Again, the truth was not wholly communicated through mainstream media, it is through political blogs that the real truth was communicated, proving its importance.
It is through political blogs then, that the truth is often communicated about information the government doesn’t always want its people to know. Sometimes, because of the massive amounts of information a publication reports on, some details are lost or not investigated. In both of these cases, political blogs become very important.
The Reason People Blog
Although blogging, especially political blogging, has proven to be useful, many people question the use of personal blogs. People frequently question the reason people blog and feel it is not a productive use of time. There are many reasons people blog and many psychological theories that would aid in explaining the use of blogging. One psychological theory is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and the other is Freud’s theory about Talking Therapy [5]. Another reason people blog is to connect with others and because they want to be able to relate to others.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, which explains human need and motivation [4], also explains the motivation to blog. Blogging can help to fulfill the need to have confidence in oneself and the respect of self and others. It can also help to fulfill the need to self-actualize. As well, because self-actualization is a continuously evolving process [4], blogging can be a very useful lifelong tool. It is often when one writes down what they are feeling or attempts to explain it that they are able to understand how they truly feel [11]. Sometimes, after they do this they still need the help of others to understand themselves. By talking about their problems, it is very plausible that the person will relieve repressed emotions or feelings, which is beneficial for them.
Personal blogs, in which people post their art, stories or photography, also allows them to receive feedback from others. It allows amateur artists or writers to improve as they receive feedback [11]. As a result, it also allows people to connect with one another if they are drawn to their work. Corporations who cater to consumers, such as Hollywood, have also started to realize that an easy way to listen to the voice of the masses is through blogging [11]. Rottentomatoes, which originally started out as a movie review blog, is one such example [12]. This realization that one can voice their opinion easily and be heard by the masses or someone else draws people to blogging.
Personal blogs in which people post about their daily lives also draws people in. This can be because they know the person blogging and can follow their life easily, or because they can relate to someone’s circumstance or situation. Many also begin blogging to connect with others and have an online community of friends, particularly those blogging about a specific topic, such as religion [11]. There are many other topics one could blog about, such as school, disaster relief, book reviews, and so on. Some institutions are realizing the importance of blogs and now offer them to students to write about their experience. MIT offers this option [13] and has allowed people to gain insight into the social setting of the school.
There are many reasons people blog, but the main reasons are to self-actualize, connect and relate with others, and to have a voice.
Blogs Can Change Lives
Another reason blogging is useful and important is because it has the power to change people’s lives. As previously mentioned, because blogging allows people to connect and share with one another, it is emotionally beneficial for them. It is beneficial not only because it allows catharsis [11], but because it allows people to gain knowledge and understanding about others. It aids in causing people to be more compassionate towards others. Although there are many blogs that have changed lives, this paper will be focusing on two, PostSecret [6] and HomelessMan [7].
PostSecret is a blog started by Frank Warren. The concept of the blog is that one can anonymously mail in a secret on a personalized postcard. The postcards provide inspiration for readers, and allow the writer to heal as they have unburdened themselves. They also provide hope to those who can identify with the writers’ secret and create a community of acceptance [14]. Warren posted on the site the contact information for HopeLine, a suicide help line, which Cassie, a visitor to the site took advantage of. Cassie later contacted Warren with a picture of herself letting him know that the reason she was alive today was because of the website [15]. PostSecret has since its inception in January 1, 2005, gained such a large following that Warren has published five books of secrets. It is obvious that PostSecret has changed people’s lives.
HomelessMan is blog started by Philip Stern. Philip blogs about Tony, a homeless man he met outside of his favorite coffee shop. He started to learn about Tony’s life and decided that the rest of the world needed to hear his story too. The blog is records of conversations the two have had. When people post questions to Tony on the blog, Philip relays them and Tony answers them [7]. This has caused people to face the realities that the homeless people are facing. It has also cleared up some misconceptions – one being that homeless people are lazy and do not want to work for a living. Philip’s blog has given a voice to Tony, who is the voice for homeless people in Toronto. Tony’s sister was able to find him because of the blog, and a few people have visited Tony since Philip started the blog [7]. The blog has not only changed Philip’s life, but also the lives of people who have never met Tony. It has allowed people to better understand homelessness.
These are only two of the blogs that have changed people’s lives, and in the case of PostSecret, definitely saved people’s lives. It is obvious then that blogs really are important.
Recommendations
Blogging is important, and indeed useful. One can use blogging to generate an income. For example, some people blog professionally and make an income. Of the blogs reported by Technorati, 12% are corporate blogs and 46% are professional blogs [2]. However, there is an overlap between the categories, showing that some professional blogs are corporate blogs which make money. This is further evidence that blogging is not useless.
Perhaps many people feel blogging is useless because of the sheer number of blogs and the lack of blog supervision or control. Many blogs start out as personal blogs which are often abandoned, or the authors write about topics without solid background knowledge. As a result blogs in general are regarded as not a very reliable source of information.
My proposition is that every blog post must follow at least one rule: that it must have a point or a purpose. To further increase the credibility, the point made must not be one that is obvious and mundane, but one that is thought provoking. It must, at the very least, cause people to have an opinion about it and be able to discuss the topic. Bloggers are allowed to have personal, journal-type blogs, in which the daily events are written, but they must also have a larger point. The point can be a pattern of behavior that is positive or negative, an observation about a group of friends, etc. It is possible to have a journal-type blog that still has a point.
As there are no “blog police” or formal blog instructors, the teaching must begin in schools. Blogging can easily be integrated into a classroom learning environment. For younger children, instead of a monthly newsletter for their parents, one can have the option of creating an online newsletter. For children in secondary school, blogging can be integrated into Information Technology courses or English Media courses. Students can be required to write a blog post or create an online blog journal in which they document their progress or work.
Post-secondary institutions can also take advantage of this to reach a broader range of incoming students. It also provides students at the Institution in the same discipline or program an area for intellectual discussion and growth. It can even allow students in different disiplines to interact and broaden the students’ scope. Blogging can certainly be seen as important and useful, if proper steps were taken to teach bloggers a few essential blogging tips.
References
[1] A. Loewenstein, The Blogging Revolution, Melbourne University Press, 2008, pp. 1-39.
[2] D. White, “Day 1: who are the bloggers?,” Technorati, http://bit.ly/7ZymRG. Accessed December 5, 2009.
[3] M. McCaughey, M. D. Ayers, Cyberactivism: Online Activism in Theory and Practice, Routledge, 2003, pp. 165-184.
[4] J. M. Kiel, “Reshaping Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to reflect today’s educational and managerial philosophies,” Journal of Instructional Psychology, vol. 26, 1999. Available at http://www.bit.ly/questiaJournal. Accessed November 14, 2009.
[5] C.G. Boeree, “Sigmund Freud,” Shippensburg University My Website, http://bit.ly/talkingTherapy. Accessed December 5, 2009.
[6] F. Warren, “Postsecret,” PostSecret, http://bit.ly/postSecret. Accessed December 5, 2009.
[7] P. Stern, “Homeless man speaks,” Homeless Man Speaks, http://bit.ly/homelessManSpeaks. Accessed December 5, 2009.
[8] T. DeWeese, “Fidel Castro is a Communist,” Capitalism Magazine, http://bit.ly/fidelCastro. Accessed December 5, 2009.
[9] J. Bruning, “Statement from John Bruning about his arrest,” Occupy UCI and Everything Else Too, http://bit.ly/occupyUCI. Accessed December 5, 2009.
[10] M.-T Tran, “Students storm UCLA building to protest expected UC system fee increase [updated],” Los Angeles Times, November 19, 2009, http://bit.ly/LAarticle. Accessed December 5, 2009.
[11] A. Barlow, Blogging @merica, Praeger Publishers, 2008, pp. 113-117, 137-145.
[12] S. Duong, “Rotten tomatoes,” Rotten Tomatoes, http://bit.ly/WV06. Accessed December 5, 2009.
[13] C. Chinea, “MIT admissions | Cristen C. ’10,” MIT Admissions, http://bit.ly/MITblog. Accessed December 5, 2009.
[14] F. Warren, My Secret, Harper Collins Publishers Inc., 2006.
[15] F. Warren, “Eating light bulbs & postsecret events,” myspace, http://bit.ly/psMySpace. Accessed December 5, 2009.
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