Apr 30, 2005
Ahem
What Blogs Are vs What They Are Not (via)
So the debate continues: are bloggers automatically considered amateur journalists or are they merely diarists?
If journalists mean being professional about gathering and reporting facts, probably not. If it means someone who keep notes of an event via the web for the purpose of coming up with a thorough piece later, maybe.
Do blogs inform? Yes, definitely. Are they a viable form of alternative “media”? Probably not. You need a significant amount of people plugged-in the Internet to make that happen. The local webscene has very definite demographic: middle/upper class. The masa couldn’t care less how many hyperlinks you have on your page.
7 Comments, Comment or Ping
Resty
“The masa couldn’t care less how many hyperlinks you have on your page.”
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Oi, Mark, masa kaya ako!
May 2nd, 2005
emer
but they do search for carlos agassi and maui taylor. and sometimes they end up in your blog looking for pictures and movie summaries…
May 2nd, 2005
Junnie
we’re all journalists… our blogs reflect our personal journals and goings on around us. i only hyperlink things ive discovered and tried and wanted to share to share to others…
May 2nd, 2005
markmomukhamo
Resty, you’re not part of the masa unless you’re part of 77 million out of the 85 million who do not have access to the Internet. No, you’re part of the 7.8 M who do have access to the Internet “at least once a week.” That’s barely 10% of the population. And I’m betting most of them would be in the Metro Manila area. The 77 million still have their opinions shaped by TV and Radio, by ABS-CBN and GMA, the Inquirer, Philstar and Manila Bulletin and the families and the interests behind these broadcast media. The 77 million would rather buy karaoke machines than PCs. Can’t blame them too. Karaoke machines are cheaper.
Emer, not accounting for taste really. You know how they thought TV would bring ballet and the opera when it first started? These days we have people eating bugs and the Buzz on TV. Same thing happening to the Internet. Even Internet2 which is still being developed got hijacked by students trading mp3s. The point is, there’s still a long way to go before blog/bloggers would become a viable form of mass media. Even then what’s stopping it from becoming yet another outlet for showbiz dirty laundry and gossip? Unless of course people start writing for that less than 10% of the population who do go online. And those who do go here for pictures of showbiz people think it’s the official site and leave messages as such. That speaks volumes of how people still misunderstand the Net.
Junnie, there’s no question about blogs being informative. I’m just wary of people calling themselves ‘journalists’ in the reporter/mass media sense.
May 2nd, 2005
Sassy
Why do bloggers have to be something else? We’re bloggers. Period.
The masa couldn’t care less if what they read in the tabloids are true or not so long as there are photos.
May 11th, 2005
tyrone
eventually, ang mga bagay na kagaya ng blogs ay magiging isang tool na maging daluyan ng mga importanteng impormasyon. kagaya noong kasagsagan ng edsa 2, naging popular nga weapon against corrpution ang infotech para sa mga middle/upper class youths.
ngayon lang, mayorya sa mga bloggers ay nagsusulat para ma-account ang personal bloggers. so blogging is still evolving.
May 12th, 2005
markmomukhamo
Sassy, that was the point of the slide and metafilter thread wasn’t it? A blog is a blog is a blog. Ever since bloggers had a small success (ref. Dan Rather and the Pajamaheedin), they’re looking at legitimizing bloggers as journalists. The Philippine blogosphere is quite a different animal as you have journalists who blog but not necessarily share their assignments/break their stories (at least not the big scoops) online. At least not yet. It remains the realm of the 10% of the population who go online. That’s not enough to be called ‘mass media’ as these proponents of ‘alternative press’ would like the world to believe. As I’ve said above, I’m wary of people who blog and consider themselves budding/amateur/alternative journalists/press just because they blog. Some bloggers can’t even do proper attribution of quotes and links so excuse my cynicism. And as you pointed out, the masa still look at pictures not substantial, lengthy analysis. Unless the masa has cheap, reliable and entertaining access to the Internet, blogging will remain a middle/upper class activity.
Tyrone salamat sa pagdalaw. Totoo yan na malaki ang nagawa ng techonology para mapatalsik si Erap. Kaya naman ang naramdaman ng karamihan ng walang access sa ganitong teknolohiya na karamihan ay sumosuporta kay Erap ay naging pakana ito ng mga mayayaman para lalong parusahan ang mga mahihirap. Kaya ganun na lang ang panliligaw ni PGMA sa mga mahihirap.
Totoo rin na patuloy ang pagbabago ng blogging. Karamihan ng blogs ay mga ‘emo’ blogs or yung mga blogs na makahulugan lamang sa mga kaibigan o kamag-anak. Hindi ko sinasabing masama ito. Nagumpisa din ako dun. Sinasabi ko lang marahil mas mainam kung maiwasan o kaya’y maihawalay ang pansariling kwento dun sa mga posts na maaring makadagdag kaalaman sa mga taong bumibisita at may mga dalang ideya kung ano ang gusto nilang mahanap sa blog na binibisita.
May 12th, 2005
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