The previous post for me was an attempt to trigger my brain into action, and I was disappointed because in the end, all I can say is that the list of Emerging and Influential Blogs of 2007 is a reflection of the Philippine blogsphere – blogsphere including bloggers, commenters, and readers (there’s a distinction between commenters and readers). First let me analyze the comments posted in the previous post.
Schumey thinks the Philippine blogsphere is not yet ready for political blogs per se, assuming of course that the average blog reader is around 16-22 years of age. Arthur’s comment is very direct: “The audience just isn’t there yet. Give it another 3-4 generations.”
Now, assuming that those are true, and connecting it with the results of the writing project, it gives me a scary thought. Political blogs are not that influential; is it safe to say that we have another generation that is detached from the politics and governance of this country?
To argue that there are few new politically-oriented blogs says another argument, coinciding with the average age assumption made earlier, and reinforces the detachment that I have observed.
Jhay Rocas posted a quite lengthy comment, which, I think, sums up all the criticisms about the writing project as a whole, and issues an indictment on the Philippine blogsphere: “Just like in real life, Pinoys (Philippine blogsphere in general – addition mine) really don’t give much about politics today. Sad really.”
AnitoKid has a different take on the matter: “Though not all of their posts focus on Philippine politics and various developments in the nation, those that could be classified as such are interesting reads. They may not entirely focus on the Philippine scene, but they do blog about it.” Again, Jhay’s criticism comes into mind.
Shari made an interesting point: ‘Influence may vary from one person to another. It just so happens that those who participated in the project are “influenced” by the blogs they nominated.’ The way I see it, readers gravitate to blogs that they can relate to, and blogs, in turn, supplies the demand. Now, if a reader prioritizes reading gossip blogs, for example, is it safe to say that it the choice reflects on the reader’s concept of what is valuable, what is important? Maybe. Maybe not.
We cannot say for certain if new political blogs are not as influential as the others. Mam Janette Toral made an interesting Twitter twit last Saturday, in response to the previous blog post: “I think if MLQ submitted earlier, blogs he cited might got more support.” That says a lot about MLQ3’s influence. Now, MLQ3 has been blogging for years, and his influence is undeniable. Now, he cited two political blogs (the same blogs that I had cited) despite that these two are young; it isn’t on the relative age of the blogs, it is on the ideas presented. Just the same, we put much weight on the age of a blog (and a blogger) when it comes to serious topics. (How I wish we know what is the average age of a political blogger.)
So far, here are the things that we can assume from the project:
1. It is assumed that the participants in the Philippine blogsphere are quite young.
2. There is a general disinterest in Philippine politics, bloggers and readers alike.
3. Most bloggers tackle politics from time to time.
4. Blogs cater to the audience it targets; readers gravitate to the blogs that they can most relate to; the blogs that they read reflect on the reader’s values and priorities.
We cannot conclude a lot from the writing project. Now, if the blog age requirement is lifted, we could have an altogether different list, and may be even truly reflective of the state of the Philippine blogsphere and the people involved in it. What we can conclude is that we have a vibrant and lively blogsphere, marked not by conformity but by diversity of ideas. The writing project, the results, and its aftermath, taken as a whole, reflects the true state of Philippine blogsphere.
