Blogging Trends and Benefits to the Community

I was unable to find an official number regarding the size of the current blogosphere. Usually Technorati would be the go-to source for statistics regarding the blogosphere but the best I could do is a number from the 2008 State of Blogosphere Report that stated Technorati has tracked 133 million blogs since 2002.

Click image to go to source.

A blogging trend that is becoming prevalent in Malaysia is political blogs. In Malaysia, where traditional mainstream media is controlled by the ruling political party, oppositional views and media are restricted and in fact controlled by laws like the ISA (Internal Security Act) which allows for detention without trial or criminal charges when someone or something is regarded as a threat to the national security of Malaysia. (CNN.com 2001) However, what is regarded as a threat is up to the interpretation of the ruling party and this is where those laws may be misused.

With the emergence of the internet, the voices of the opposition are getting harder to restrain as they slowly resort to political blogs to get their views heard. This benefits us where it helps us to maintain our state of democracy. Schirato (2009) states that there is a relationship between media and democracy, the public sphere (In our case, political blogs) serve as a counter to state authority. They serve to keep politicians in track and to legitimate their effectiveness in governing the country.

Reference:

CNN.my, 2001, “Malaysia’s Internal Security Act”, accessed 4^th September 2010,

Schirato, T 2009, “Media and the Public Sphere”, Understanding Media Studies, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne. Chapter 6, pp 110-135.

Win, P 2008, “State of the blogosphere 2008”, Technorati, accessed 4^th September 2010, http://technorati.com/blogging/article/state-of-the-blogosphere-introduction/>