Barbarians at the Gate
The blogosphere is still considered the lunatic fringe by the mainstream.
You can see this in some recent comments by both of the Presidential candidates. McCain noted that he “hates the bloggers” earlier this month, and, when PBS’s Gwen Ifill suggested that Obama had “raised hackles among supporters” recently, the candidate carped, “Well, raised hackles amongst some in the blogosphere.”
It is actually true that the greater portion of bloggers occupy real estate along the fringe. But, the candidates are gravely mistaken if they believe that all online content is created by “those pesky bloggers.”
In Obama’s case, for example, the most vociferous criticisms of his FISA vote occured at his own website. The so-called bloggers (12,000+) whose hackles were raised were just ordinary citizens contributing to a group blogging site, powered by the Obama team. The vast majority of contributors do not run their own blogs. This is not the lunatic fringe – these are simply ordinary Americans who give a sh** about their civil liberties; the folks whose passion needs to be harnessed, not brushed off.
Both candidates would be wise to remember (or learn) that the power to share our thoughts – freely, easily, globally – is, indeed, something to be concerned about. The paradigm shift is just beginning.
When Gutenberg invented the movable press, it made mass publication a feasible reality. According to Wikipedia, “Gutenberg's printing technology spread rapidly throughout Europe and is considered a key factor in the European Renaissance.”
That renaissance was built on ease-of-distribution, i.e., printing became cheap enough that ideas could be cost-effectively and widely spread. But, paying for that original print job was still beyond the reach of most citizens.
The printing press’s original ease-of-distribution benefits are now being compounded by the web’s ease-of-creation benefits. “Blogs” are just the tip of the spear when it comes to how people will be expressing themselves online in the future.
Which means that the “fringe” is drawing ever closer to “the center.”
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Comments
Gwen Ifill's “...raised hackles amongst some in the blogosphere" comment irked me as well.
I do my best to avoid using the term 'blogospshere'. Those that use it tend to subscribe to the 'barbarians at the gate' theory.
The B-word lumps every blogger into one "sphere", focusing on the method of distribution and not the content or author's views....
Posted by: John Stauffer | July 16, 2008 01:38 PM
Good post Todd. These over-generalizations about "bloggers" by presidential candidates show their ignorance of blogging.
It's a medium used by all types of PEOPLE for cryin' out loud!
Would it be ignorant if I said "I hate anyone who writes on college-ruled paper?"
Posted by: John Atkinson | July 16, 2008 01:45 PM
Haven't candidates (and elected officials) for the last decade been blaming mainstream media? Wouldn't this mean we've finally "made it?!?"
Politicians aren't the only people denigrating bloggers and the other online communities ... large corporations and organizations still are as well. Many don't see it as either a viable medium with viable influencers... or maybe it's just cuz they can't measure it. This is where we haven't "made it."
Great post ...
DW
Posted by: David Weiner, PR Newswire | July 16, 2008 05:11 PM
I'd like to offer a slightly different perspective on this topic. Not too long ago on Media Bullseye Radio Roundtable we discussed a study titled: "Self-Segregation or Deliberation? Blog Readership, Participation, and Polarization in American Politics."
The gist of which is not surprising: people tend to congregate on blogs that line up with their political viewpoints. The concern I expressed on the show is applicable here. If 1) people are getting more of their news from blogs, and 2) the blogs they are visiting reinforce their existing opinions, does this lead to a decline in critical thought?
While there are some who supplement their reading material by visiting blogs that offer a variety of political opinions, this study seems to indicate that *most* do not. I've worked in politics, and I've seen the result of this in small-group settings: what happens is that people tend to become *more* partisan in their opinions when surrounded by those with whom they agree.
When people are exposed to those of differing opinions in a social setting (for example a party), they are more likely to moderate their opinions. Whether this is group dynamics at work, or a nod to social norms I'm not sure.
Couple the dynamic of people becoming more partisan in thought with the (somewhat) anonymity of the Internet, and you have a combustible situation. One needs to look no further than some of the terribly nasty things written in comments to news sites on the passing of Tony Snow to see how this can manifest itself in a very ugly way. There are examples on both sides of the political fence, that one simply springs to mind because it's recent.
I do worry that this lack of respect for those of differing opinions will be destructive in the long run. As long as these vitriolic and nasty comments are out there for everyone to see, it's understandable why people would consider it the "lunatic fringe." Unfortunately, there is not an easy answer for this--people are who they are.
Sorry for the long response...as a political science major and an avowed moderate and Independent voter, this does disturb me!
Jen
Posted by: Jen Zingsheim | July 17, 2008 10:57 AM
A while back, you posted a Slideshare presentation that included evidence of mainstream adoption of social media, including a statistic that something like 70% of people read blogs. I guess considering bloggers the lunatic fringe doesn't keep people from consuming their content.
Posted by: Shel Holtz | July 17, 2008 11:10 AM
To be fair, Barack Obama did give an exclusive interview to BlogHer, Erin Kotecki Vest. So I think that it isn't fair to say the candidates don't take the blog community seriously. I do think that they both need a serious strategy for engaging with influential voices online.
Posted by: Kami Huyse | July 17, 2008 11:33 AM