Potential Impact of Blogs on Communication

The Potential Impact of Blogs on Communication

The advent of weblogs as instruments of Web-based conversation shall surely increase the exchange of news-related and academic information; probably not to the extent that books or newspapers have, but certainly in an open and accessible way. Gradually as they gain in popularity, blogs shall transform the field of journalism from one of complacent reporting to a more competitive and less elitist industry. Motivated individuals, with the use of their personal blogs, shall weigh in on important and controversial topics related to politics and social issues. Similarly, separated networks of academics shall benefit from more convenient access in communicating their ideas across long distances, giving them greater opportunities to organize large collaborative projects. Although books and libraries shall continue to be the preferred and overwhelming choice of students, educators, and interested persons as a place for acquiring knowledge, weblogs, through the global network called the Internet, shall bring people ever closer together to inform the general public and to exchange technical and academic ideas.

The influence that blogging shall have on the news industry and on academia should, for the sake of objectivity, be placed in comparison with the advent of mechanized printing. Both these technologies (i.e. blogs and printing) have made general news coverage and advanced scholarship related to professional and academic disciplines more readily available than what was the case before their creation. Prior to the invention of moveable type and the printing press, only a small number of trained scribes and privileged aristocrats knew how to write. Books took painstaking effort ...

... middle of paper ...

...ve understanding about the social and physical sciences shall be fostered by this new on-line forum.

Works Cited

Mumford, Lewis. "The Invention of the Printing Press." Communication in History : Technology, Culture, Society. Ed. Crowley, David and Paul Heyer. Pearson Education. pp. 93-97.

Lasica, J.D. "Blogging as a Form of Journalism." We've Got Blog. Ed. Rodzvilla, John. USA: Perseus Publishing, 2002. 163-71.

Pryor, Larry. "A Weblog sharpens journalism students' skills." Nieman Reports. Vol. 57, Iss. 3. pg. 97.

Regan, Tom. "Weblogs threaten and inform traditional journalism." Nieman Reports. Vol. 57, Iss. 3: pg. 68.

Reynolds, Glenn Harlan. "Weblogs and journalism: Back to the future?" Nieman Reports. Vol. 57, Iss. 3: pg. 81.

Duke University. Center for Instructional Technology.