Blogs are or can be useful in civic discourse by offering the public a place for free and equal access to participate in public debate. Anyone with access to the web is welcome to join in the conversation either by viewing and/or contributing.
I really liked how Barton stressed the importance of students finding their voice, learning how to use that voice, and eventually being able to contribute to a group of voices that can work together for a greater good. I think Barton was getting at the fact that we must acknowledge how privileged we are to have these forms of communication such as blogging, wikis, and discussion boards, and that if we don't protect them they will become the exact things that they were developed to oppose.
I think the greatest role blogs play in the political conversation is that they allow for more access and participation in the political arena. By looking through different blogs we are able to study both sides of every issue and come to our own opinions.
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2 comments:
Robin,
I really struggled with what I wanted to say about this topic, but I think that you did a great job of explaining it. It does give a people a voice in an arena that they probably didn't really feel that they had one before, at least outside of voting.
Great insight, that actually helped me a lot.
Good job with the link.
Robin,
Your insights about Barton's reclaiming of the personal on blogs is really interesting to me, too. I think it is so tempting to dismiss many blogs as whining and egocentric, but Barton seems to be making a case for this sort of online writing as a step towards more outward-focused debate and dialogue. It helped me put the different blogging sub-genres in some sort of perspective.
I like also your awareness of access. It's true that blogs, wikis, and the like are "free" and open to all - in theory - but we cannot deny that these venues remain closed to many still. I agree that protecting this sort of free software is a good first step in allowing for more voices.
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