In a recent appearance on “The Daily Show with John Stewart”, Jerry Seinfeld commented on blogging, and how it has impacted the media today. He went as far as saying it was an “unattractive” word, claiming that it sounded like something you get caught in ones throat. Well, I have a few thoughts of my own that correlate to “We The Media”.
Blogging has been a very relaxing endeavor for me, mainly becausei it is liberating. I enjoy blogging on issues that are important to me. In Gilmor’s We The Media, I have found it intriguing to learn about the different ways in which blogging can benefit media. In the beginning of chapter seven, Gillmor cites a moment in history, when Iraqis protested bombings by insurgents. There were not any big newspapers that were able to cover the story. Bloggers were the ones on top of it, becuase as it turned out a local blogger named Zeyad was covering the story. He has made quite a name for himself in the blogging world becuase of the first story he wrote about. That is what is great about blogging. There are no major issues with getting it out on a certain date. If one is on top of a story, all he or she has to do is write what they have done or witnessed. People like Zeyad with fairly accelarated writing style can do very well. Although they may not have hollywood entourages, bloggers make a huge impact on the world.
I also agree with Gillmor in that the mainstream media is afraid of blogging. In my mind, they are too hesitant. Our world is so fast paced, fly by the seat of your pants that being able to tap in to the media with a computer is ultimately going to be the next step. Technology is a force not to be reckoned with. What I mean by that is everything in technology is getting faster, and more efficient. Naturally, humans will follow in the footsteps of technology. The need for arriving to work at an office everyday will become less of an issue. Everyone will be able to communicate with one another, even if they are not in the same room. It has already begun, so it will only continue to improve. The future is in blogging, and the media should be prepared.
November 26, 2007 at 4:56 am
It is interesting to hear folks who are heavily invested in the current paradigm talk about how blogging is not real journalism. They don’t seem to have a consistent about what is real journalism and who is practicing it however. Good post!