More than Just a “Blog”? (Academic Blogging)

As I sit here at my desktop plugging away at my keyboard, I stop for a moment, and think about what exactly I am writing about. Blogging? No, that is much too vague. Actually, it is, because in fact writing about blogging is a bit redundant and somewhat boring. Instead, I choose to write about how this very blog, I hope, is going to change you (and by extension, me in the process).

Change you? A bit pretentious wouldn’t you say? But this is my goal, and I see no other way to write in my online journal except to benefit you, my audience. After all, the medium is the message ("The Playboy Interview", 2) and by extension of the internet, this blog serves its purpose as that medium. That being said, I would like to pose two questions before continuing to write any more.

1. What does having your own space on the internet mean to you?
2. If you were to suddenly have a lot of popularity with your blog, which way would you try and influence people in?

After thinking about the first question, I reestablished a strong feeling of a personal interconnectivity with the internet once again. It is true; we take for granted what is readily available to us. However, if I were to answer this question in one word it would be ‘power’. Power is a word with many meanings though, so I will explain myself. I reckon power to being able to change the way a person thinks about something. What philosopher Marshall McLuhan says is true, media has changed and grown at a rapid rate. Twenty years ago, one could only dream of having a journal published in a book. Imagine that – the thought of knowing your work was actually good enough to be published somewhere, for someone else to read and be influenced by it. The internet makes this possible for anyone with a connection, and in turn opens up a whole new dimension of information and knowledge. This does not come without a price though. Some people will influence others the wrong way, intentionally or not. So I ask that you only do one thing when reading my blog, and that is to question, and think for yourself. I would never accept something anyone wrote for face value just ‘because’.

The second question was a bit confusing at first (confused by my own question, brilliant). I suppose there is only one answer for me personally, and that is to not try and influence people at all. Here is what I see, here’s my take on it, and the rest is up to you.

Enjoy.

Works Cited:
"The Playboy Interview: Marshall McLuhan." Playboy March 1969.: n. pag. Web. 2 Oct 2009. .