Blog-ophile

Web Log= We Blog= Blog

For such a well-known new-media phenomenon, the origins of the word 'blog' became apparent to me only fifteen minutes ago. In fact, the entire realm of blogging is fairly new to my understanding. Fifteen minutes ago, blogging was equivalent to the Snuggie: Used and loved by many, but something that I would never wrap myself into. It was an idea of principle. Perhaps the reason for my trepidation was the reputation blogging received upon its release into the world of media. Blogging insinuated a form of releasing one's innermost feelings to a world of sarcastic, unsympathetic critics. Blogging was merely the means by which pre-pubescent boys commented upon the irony of their dark nail polish and the void left in their souls after the bottles were used up. It was this notion of extreme personal expression that allowed me to characterize it as a fad that would only remain amongst small circles of like-minded diarists. Fifteen minutes ago, I would have characterized blogging as naive and trivial. I'm looking for a noncommittal relationship to my readers. I'll stick to my privatized inboxes and personal emails, thank you very much.

However, fifteen minutes ago, I was not aware of the transformation blogging has undergone into the world of new media. In the magazine The Atlantic, Andrew Sullivan's article "Why I Blog" iterates the meaning and context of blogging today. Blogging is comparable to “writing out loud,” a "spontaneous expression of instant thought (Sullivan)” supplemented by hypertext. Blogging can be intellectual, a writing of substance that is reciprocated by its readers. It is brief and immediate. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of blogging is the author’s ability to interject his/her personality into the text. The content can be sarcastic, humorous, academic, informative, argumentative, etc. This notion of free form, of the immediate translation of thoughts to words, creates an interesting discussion to be had, a condition of many-to-many.

Coming from a first-time blogger, I assure you that the experience is liberating: a certain freedom comes from a chance to write at the rate of immediate thought. The ability to express the true inner voice is a privilege that is not always granted in academic papers and formal writings. However, this mode of web logging brings up a question of identity. I feel that there must be some skepticism involved in determining if the voice of a blog is a true portrayal of inner thought. The web is our vehicle, and with that, our true identity is ambiguous. As an amateur blogger, I ask the experienced, do bloggers typically create blog personalities separate from their own voice? Is there truly any way of knowing the true voice of those who blog? Perhaps we get a sense of identity as personality seeps into our written thoughts. Perhaps we act like author-pedophiles in a way, because the Internet allows us to be. Perhaps we create voices that purely serve to entertain, or stir argument, or generate humor. Perhaps I am one such imposter. You may never know.

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/11/why-i-blog/7060/