By Alina Xu & Angela Xu
Staff Writers
People have written in journals for centuries, but the Internet has brought a new form of journal-keeping, one that has blossomed into its own subculture: blogging, loosely defined as frequently updating a personal webpage with information and observations.
Derived from the term “weblog,” which was coined by American blogger Jorn Barger in 1997, blogging has become more than just a fad. Marian Liu, MSJ alumna and pop music writer for the San Jose Mercury News, explained part of its appeal: “It gives everybody a voice, everybody a soapbox.”
Indeed, blogs encompassed nearly every subject. Political blogs such as journalist Andrew Sullivan’s “The Daily Dish” provide commentary on politics and news events. During the 2004 presidential campaign, George W. Bush, John Kerry, and Howard Dean each employed blogging staff to update supporters on their respective campaigns. Entertainment figures also keep blogs to connect with their fans. Prior to the release of his 2001 novel American Gods, author Neil Gaiman started a blog to keep fans updated on the novel’s progress.
Blogs can serve practical purposes as well; students often turn to blogs and other Internet media for information. Many MSJ students use the online encyclopedia Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org) as a resource, but the fact that anyone can write and edit articles raises questions of credibility. “Wikipedia and opinion blogs have some value for research,” said Chemistry teacher Peter Geschke, “but they haven’t necessarily been reliably checked for facts.”
Said Senior Darwin Fu, “Wikipedia is highly reliable until I change the articles during bio research projects.”
On the flip side, teenagers utilize blog services such as LiveJournal (LJ), MySpace, and Xanga for purely social purposes. They not only rely heavily on blogs for keeping abreast of their friends’ thoughts and activities, but also for making new acquaintances—or even finding romance.
Most blogging sites have a profile feature with which a person can describe his or her hobbies and personality. Other users can contact people with similar interests and initiate friendships.
A clear advantage of blogs is that they enable contact with a wide range of people from around the world. Denise Paolucci, Abuse manager at www.livejournal.com, said, “The online element removes the geographic boundaries and brings like-minded people together.”
Furthermore, the faceless nature of Internet communication allows people converse freely. “Online, you worry less about what other people are going to think of you,” said Sophomore Deborah Ho. “Or, you have time to carefully word what you say instead of just blurting it out, like in real life.”
According to Paolucci, though, “The downside, of course, is that it’s impossible to verify whether or not someone really is who they say they are. Non-face-to-face communication makes it easier for people to be open and honest, but it also makes it easier for people to be more dishonest.”
In spite of this risk, online relationships flourish amongst teenagers—and can attain astonishing levels of intimacy.
Junior Clive Chan said, “I know someone who’s going out with someone they met online. [The relationship] is long distance.” The two people he was referring to are 17 and 19 years old and live in California and New Jersey, respectively. Despite living on opposite sides of the country, “they’ve been going out for seven months, and [the 19-year-old] flies to California every break.”
Conversely, Junior Meagan Roy has a more detached bond with the 17-year-old girl from Oakland whom she met on MySpace. They share an enthusiasm for the French language, but Roy admitted, “Although we’re friends, we don’t really talk about anything important; I use her to expand my vocabulary and she uses me to vent about her boy troubles.”
Another drawback of blogging is the personality shift that may occur online. In the blog community, Ho said, “you see an online side to people that you don’t expect. The quiet ones are loud and demand attention; the happy ones cut themselves. It’s like [they’re] trying to compensate for the side you never really see.”
Also, as Paolucci noted, teens often use blogging “as an extension of the locker room or the school cafeteria—places where they can gossip about other people.” In such instances, the student responsible can face punitive measures from the school. Liu observed, “You have the right to freedom of speech, of course, but you have to be smart about it too, because when you do write it online, it is open to everybody and your name is attached, so you have to be wary of that.”
LJ, arguably the most popular blogging site among teens, reports on its Statistics page that the majority of users fall between the ages of 16 and 20, and more users are from California than any other state. In LJ’s Schools Directory, there are 277 users under MSJ, meaning at least 11% of MSJ’s student body has a blog. That doesn’t even take into account the students who have a MySpace or Xanga.
Clearly, blog culture fosters an interactive environment rich with information and opinions, as well as self-discovery and creativity. The vast appeal of blogs, especially with teenagers, ensures their popularity for years to come. ▪