(Kline and Burstein 224)
In May of 2005, Stephan Baker and Heather Green wrote an article discussing the impact that blogging is having on big business, and how these companies are now trying to utilize the Internet's power to their advantage. They understand how large this online community is now, and want to try to get their products out there through it. It makes sense: Think about how many hours a day you're on the Internet, and are endlessly being bombarded by advertising, slowly being brainwashed to CONSUME, CONSUME, CONSUME! This interpretation challenges the critics that have long assumed that blogging would be a passing trend, and have no affect on our society.
Although the Internet can be used as a great tool to keep people informed and gives them an opportunity to participate in their government, or society in general, most people don't. There are about nine million blogs out there (Kline and Burstein), however, only about twenty-seven percent of Internet users bother to visit political blogs (Kline and Burstein). Information is out there, people are just drawn to trash. If you were to check the History on an average Americans computer, you'd be more likely to find links to blogs discussing The Apprentice, than you are one on the presidential election.
Think about your day-to-day conversations. If people were honest, the majority of their chats consists of the latest video they watched on You Tube. And there's nothing wrong with that. We all want to believe that we are "above" that sort of thing. But human beings to their core tend to be cold-hearted, nosy, bored souls. So the Internet is like a giant, world-wide water cooler: People from across the oceans can discuss and poke fun at the latest moment of shame by Lindsey Lohan.
It's sad, but fascinating. Blogging is solidifying the fact that despite differences in background, location, language, people are all the same. I think that's the most important contribution the Internet has made. It literally connects people. Even though the planet is not dominated by towering intellects, the human population is evolving. You may not know, or even care, about the political state of the Philippines, but that "Thiller" video from a prison over there was fantastic! The Internet opens doors, and you're able to get to know people as PEOPLE, rather than a list of statistics and blanket statements about their culture.
Yes, whenever you open a page to a website, a billion ads come flying at you. Yes, big business can use blogs for customer feedback, or check which sites you visit the most to see what kind of products they put out there will be sold. But that's with any form of media. It's been done through newspapers, magazines, television, etc. So, I wouldn't say that the impact of blogging has on business is the most important aspect of blogging. If it wasn't through the Internet, it would have been through something else.
However, the worldwide networking is what sets the Internet and blogging apart from any other sort of media. Never before have individuals been able to reach other individuals on such a large scale, so conveniently. It's making people aware that the world is a lot bigger than what they themselves experience day-to-day, and cultivating a sense of Oneness through communicating with people from all parts of the world. We are all One, and this new form of social networking is making that clear.
PS-- I highly recommend watching "Free Hugs" on You Tube, and you'll get what I mean.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4
Although the Internet can be used as a great tool to keep people informed and gives them an opportunity to participate in their government, or society in general, most people don't. There are about nine million blogs out there (Kline and Burstein), however, only about twenty-seven percent of Internet users bother to visit political blogs (Kline and Burstein). Information is out there, people are just drawn to trash. If you were to check the History on an average Americans computer, you'd be more likely to find links to blogs discussing The Apprentice, than you are one on the presidential election.
Think about your day-to-day conversations. If people were honest, the majority of their chats consists of the latest video they watched on You Tube. And there's nothing wrong with that. We all want to believe that we are "above" that sort of thing. But human beings to their core tend to be cold-hearted, nosy, bored souls. So the Internet is like a giant, world-wide water cooler: People from across the oceans can discuss and poke fun at the latest moment of shame by Lindsey Lohan.
It's sad, but fascinating. Blogging is solidifying the fact that despite differences in background, location, language, people are all the same. I think that's the most important contribution the Internet has made. It literally connects people. Even though the planet is not dominated by towering intellects, the human population is evolving. You may not know, or even care, about the political state of the Philippines, but that "Thiller" video from a prison over there was fantastic! The Internet opens doors, and you're able to get to know people as PEOPLE, rather than a list of statistics and blanket statements about their culture.
Yes, whenever you open a page to a website, a billion ads come flying at you. Yes, big business can use blogs for customer feedback, or check which sites you visit the most to see what kind of products they put out there will be sold. But that's with any form of media. It's been done through newspapers, magazines, television, etc. So, I wouldn't say that the impact of blogging has on business is the most important aspect of blogging. If it wasn't through the Internet, it would have been through something else.
However, the worldwide networking is what sets the Internet and blogging apart from any other sort of media. Never before have individuals been able to reach other individuals on such a large scale, so conveniently. It's making people aware that the world is a lot bigger than what they themselves experience day-to-day, and cultivating a sense of Oneness through communicating with people from all parts of the world. We are all One, and this new form of social networking is making that clear.
PS-- I highly recommend watching "Free Hugs" on You Tube, and you'll get what I mean.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4
1 comment:
I had been avoiding the "Free Hugs" video, thinking it was going to be gooey and dumb, but you talked me into it. Yes, it's kind of cool, and only a little bit goopy.
You might be able to use some of the material in this post in your research project.
Post a Comment