Technorati just released its annual report, State of the Blogosphere 2008. It's a very long report, as if it was written for a serious audience in a research seminar. I haven't finished reading it, but I wanted to share it with you because it provides thorough insight into a lifestyle both of fun and profit.
As I have written earlier, blog is freelance journalism. Hence, blog provides everybody an opportunity to express his or her own opinion, unlike journalists who are subject to censorship by newspaper syndicates and media conglomerates. In fact, blogs have increasingly become a major force in the online media. However, blog's merit as uncensored free publication can also be viewed as its demerit. With the ever expanding size of blogosphere and its increasing influence, blogs are the main source of information pollution and misled opinion on the Internet. Blogs proliferate unsubstantiated information, biased opinions, harmful gossips and flame wars in an unprecedented speed and effectiveness.
As can be observed, blogs are heavily influencing public opinions in the political scene. Blogs don't hesitate to criticize political figures as traditional media would. In the current presidential season, I am seeing political rants streaming out of two political blogs:
- Huntington Post: Liberal Democratic biased blog
- HotAir: Conservative biased blog
As most blogs are supported and monetized by ads, bloggers are constantly pressured to churn out flashy and inflammatory articles that are often too opinionated and lacking journalistic integrity. The motivation to make profit can degrade the quality of blogs by focusing on flashy articles written to get attention and please mass mindset.
If blogs are abused by malicious people to propagate suspicious rumors and misleading opinions, blogs can be used to mislead the masses in the wrong direction of course. With the swiftness of information spreading on the Web, blogs can be a powerful weapon of public manipulation.
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