WHAT IS A BLOG????

We are now living in the information age; people of today would find it difficult to live without technology. New things are replacing the old, and the once considered an innovation could be considered obsolete in just a blink of an eye. One necessity of today is the Internet. Nowadays, one cannot live without logging in to a search engine or a social networking site. The Internet has been a place where many new things that empower people are born; Online weblogs or blogs as they are more popularly known is one. A blog is simply a piece of code over the Internet. These codes are turned into words, pictures, or videos about just about anything. However, the most special thing about blogs is that ordinary people write them. Blogs are a way for many to show the world their own perspective of the world we are all living in.

For many, blogs have many advantages. First, it allows people to start conversations. Conversations about anything, and these talk groups can have members as small as 2 or as big as a million. The main importance of blogs nowadays is that it turns news into a conversation. It involves many people in the criticism of news and events, in and out of their home countries. This behavior towards blogs is very important since the media has been losing its touch in the present. Originally, the purpose of the media is to be the fourth estate or the watchdog for the people. However, because of capitalism, many media companies or personalities are putting their own agenda in the news. It is also possible for the government itself to regulate news. As a result, the public is kept in the dark, and politicians can do anything they want. Blogs give the power back to the people. They use blogs to inform themselves of what’s happening without the intervention of anyone. It connects insights and opinions from different people from different parts of the world that makes blogs a center of information about almost any topic in the current time or in history.  Aside from this, blogs can actually save people’s lives. Blogs can be a tool where people release their frustrations, pain, and stress without the need of actually talking to people face to face. Blogs empowers people to speak about what they what, however they want it to be, without any prejudice from other people or fear towards the people that might be affected of the writer’s words. Blogs also gives a real image of what is happening in the world. For example, blogs about the Iraq War are better sources of information about the war than the actual news itself. This is because blog writers say what needs to be said; unlike the media, which is very sensitive when it comes to their image or reputation. In the case of one blog writer in the US, according to him, since the Democrats control the US media, the opponent party uses blogs, in order to share their insight or information to other people.

On the other hand, many are also skeptical about blogs, especially journalists. According to them, articles found in online weblogs cannot be considered journalism because it shows only the point of view of the writer instead of showing both sides. Journalists also dispute information coming from blogs since most of the time, bloggers do not take the time to check whether the information they have is real or faux. They also say that real journalists go to the frontlines, risking their lives, just for the sake of the public. Bloggers, however, can settle for hearsays and treat these false truths as truths.

            For me, blogs are a big step for people. Whether they are good or bad, it is a way for people to say what they want. Blogs remove the gaps between people. It removes differences in race, gender, or status. It allows people to voice out whatever they want, and anyone can gain access to these with just a click of the mouse. Blogs empower, and personally, I think that this reason is enough for me to say that blogs are good, and that they should stay.