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(Part 1 here.)
(Part 2 here.)
(Part 3 here.)
(Part 4 here.)
(Part 5 here.)
Continuing on answering RMBG's questionnaire, we go now to his third question:
Why are blogs so influential and how effective it is as a tool for reaching people and for altering awareness on critical public issues?
RMBG's third question is actually two questions in one. First, why are blogs influential? Second, how effective it is as a tool for reaching people and for altering awareness on critical public issues?
To be able to answer his first question, we must first answer this one: are blogs truly influential? The answer to this might be trickier than we realize.
Likewise, the effectiveness of blogs for reaching people and altering awareness on critical public issues is a matter of some debate.
Perhaps we can agree that being quite a recent development, the influence and reach of blogs is not very strong nor widespread... yet. Or at least among the grassroots; we can be certain that those moving in circles of power and influence just might use the blogosphere as a means of keeping their fingers on the pulse of the nation.
Let's first dispose of the first part of RMBG's question. Are blogs in general and political blogs in particular influential in the Philippines?
These days, many "old media" journalists -- that is, journalists of print and broadcast media -- have decided to blog as a means of expressing opinions, providing details to stories already covered, or as an alternative means of coverage (given the limited amount of column inches and minutes of airtime available to these journalists). Some of examples of such blogs are those of Ricky Carandang, Ellen Tordesillas, Manuel Quezon III, Jove Francisco, among others. The content of their blogs probably spurs their peers to continue digging into more angles of the stories of the day, as well as provide additional background for pundits to unravel and analyze.
Corollary to this, more and more journalistic outfits, especially those involved in investigative journalism and advocacy, are increasing their presence in cyberspace, given the difference in the amount of cost of publishing on paper or of production of a television mini-series against that of maintaining a blog or website; groups such as the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism and Center for Media Freedom and Responsiblity come to mind. Such blogs, serving as online analogs to news magazines, have often been used as sources of information even by traditional media outfits, such as newspapers and TV.
Similarly, advocacy groups are cashing in on the blogosphere's increasing influence and reach. For instance, reproductive health advocacy (among other advocacies) group Philippine Media Advocates for Development & Empowerment has been using a cyberspace presence in its drive to promote its various causes.
However, it must be made clear (as we spoke of in our previous discussion) that because of the generally limited internet penetration in the Philippines, the influence of blogs may not be as influential among the grassroots. The flip side is this: because blogs are generally posted by those close to the seat of power, or at least read by those in the rarefied corridors of influence, it is possible that blogs may have much more influence than we believe.
How, then, can we believe Filipino blogs in general and Filipino political blogs to be influential?
Insofar as shaping political thought is concerned, the Filipino blogosphere will very likely not be as influential locally as AM radio and newspaper columns are. Quite likely, political blogs will not exert much direct influence except to the digital Filipino, who is at the very least is one who belongs to the upper C to the A classes. Political commentary in the blogosphere, quite likely, will be of of greater interest in the expatriate Filipino context than locally, especially since the internet is becoming the medium expat Filipinos are becoming more and more dependent on. Given that, blogs can generally be influential, not each blog on its own, but quite likely due to a large number of blog posts expressing agreement or disagreement with a position or sentiment on an issue.
Note, however, that a blogswarm (as such a consensus can be called) may not cause action to be taken, as shown by the lack of action on the Malu Fernandez issue or the GMA resign blogswarm.
To continue on and proceed to attempt to answer the second part of RMBG's question, which is the effectiveness of blogs to reach people and shape public opinion, we must answer the question from the perspective of the Philippines having a digital divide that is very wide. With such a digital divide, blogs per se may not be as influential to the general public.
However, with the influence of blogs on mainstream media, blogs may exert a fair amount of influence on the general public, at least on an indirect basis. Given that blogs are increasingly becoming sources of information for mainstream media, we can perhaps hold such a belief with a fair amount of validity.
Not that someone such as I would be privy to any means to prove or disprove this assumption, but given that those moving in the circles of power and influence will very likely have internet access (or have underlings who do and report to them the results of their surfing), we can perhaps assume that these people will be watching the trends of the conversations in the blogosphere, perhaps even attempting to influence these trends to their benefit (which would perhaps give credence to the rumored existence of the Luli Arroyo Internet Brigade).
Finally, given that direct access to the blogosphere is greater to those either to those in metropolitan areas and expatriates, I will further posit that a blog's effectiveness will be greater if it deals with issues that will be of direct impact or at least interest to such people.
The bottomline to RMBG's question in this stage of growth of the Philippine blogosphere would then be these points:
Blogs are not very influential insofar as the general Filipino public is concerned, but can be very influential to sectors who have direct access to the internet.
It may be safe to assume that the blogosphere will be influential if bloggers begin to reach a consensus; however, such a consensus will not guarantee the object of the consensus to be spurred into action.
The Philippine blogosphere cannot yet exert enough influence to shape public opinion directly, but may be able to do so by being of interest to the media, those who have power and influence, and those who have internet access and an interest in issues affecting the nation, and causing such people to act on these opinions.
Therefore, the Philippine blogosphere is not yet an effective means to shape public opinion, and will continue to remain so unless the digital divide is narrowed, or at least bridged.
I think that we can stop here, at least for now.
The answer to RGMB's final question in the next post. For now, lunch.
(And while eating, reading AJ's posts on the recent Binibining Pilipinas pageant, Janina San Miguel, and the rest of the Taf Teyn -- I mean Top Ten. Hilarious; pity they don't make Miss Universe candidates of the same caliber as eight or so years ago. Oh, well.)
Later, all.
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