Blogging and freedom of speech

Image Source: Free Speech Cartoon

Journalist and author Antony Loewenstein discusses in the Blogging Revolution book review interview the issue of the freedom of speech in relation to blogging, especially in countries of a repressive regime like China, Iraq and Egypt. However with modern technology and the emergence of the blogging movement, those citizens are able to express their freedom of speech.

In China, many of the greatest increasing penetration of the web in China are actually in rural areas. Web courses are also held to allow people to articulate previously taboo subjects such as corruption. As for Iraq and Egypt, their massive government support allows the Internet to exist even in the poorest communities as a way to try and build economic development (Loewenstein 2007).

But does blogging really pave the way for a wider allowance of freedom of speech?

“It is our belief that censoring this content is contrary to a service that bases itself on freedom of expression.”
Blog host Blogger 2009

Image Source: kowsar

First we have to probe a little deeper into what blogging is and what it provides for the masses.

The Internet and the blogging service is available to almost anyone with access to the Internet, and can be you, me or even the sitting beside you, regardless of age, gender and culture.

Many people blog because of the advantages such as earning money through blog advertising like popular Singaporean blogger Xiaxue who is paid up to SG$500 an hour for blogging (from advertisements placed in her blog and paid reviews)!

The most popular form of blogging is personal and diary-like (Wikipedia 2009), but when a particular blogger blogs issues that surpasses sensitive political and racial issues, it is when most trouble comes a-knocking.

Image Source: Free Speech Cartoon

Are all citizens guaranteed full freedom of speech?

In Malaysia, there have been several cases where bloggers were put in the media limelight for alleged controversial issues. In 2007, Raja Petra Kamarudin was interrogated by police for allegedly insulting the King, degrading Islam and inciting ethnic hatred and violence on alternative media site Malaysia Today.

Also in the same year, Namewee did a rap version of the national anthem, criticizing Malaysian government policies and the Malay community. Both bloggers were not formally charged as the police could not find any legal terms that affirm their doings as against the law (Reporters Without Borders 2008).

Bloggers have freedom of expression based on Article 10 of the country’s constitution (Harr 2008), and although there is the Printing Presses and Publications Act, the Internet is technically a free and non-restrictive platform for expression. It is also sometimes used to counter the distortions of mainstream media used by government to propagate their ideas (Nain 2007).

And although Habermas’ theory of the public sphere describes it as an area for people to gather and freely discuss and identify societal problems, and then influence political action, netizens’ self integrity would be relied on to consider Web ethics when posting something on the Net.

References
Blogger 2009, Blogger Content Policy, viewed November 15 2009, http://www.blogger.com/content.g

Habermas, J. 1989, The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: An Inquiry into a Category of Bourgeois Society, Cambridge Massachusetts.

Harr, H. 2008, 'Tongue-tied tiger', Amnesty International, vol. 6, pp. 1-8.

Loewenstein, A. 2007, The Blogging Revolution, Media Report, viewed November 15 2009, http://www.abc.net.au/rn/mediareport/stories/2008/2351985.htm

Nain, Z. 2007, ‘Blogging the bullies and bullying the bloggers’, Malaysian Today, 16 November.

Ng, L.F. 200, 'Namewee: I'm no traitor', Malaysia Kini, viewed November 15 2009, http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/106134

Reporters Without Borders 2008, Leading blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin released, viewed November 15 2009, http://www.ifex.org/malaysia/2008/11
/07/leading_blogger_raja_petra_kamaruddin/

Wikipedia 2009, Blog, viewed November 10 2009, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog

Blogging Communities: Methods & Structures

A blogging community basically exists to connect people to blogs and bloggers to other bloggers (Wikipedia 2009). There are also interest-specific blogging platforms such as Blogster that connects a good amount of political bloggers.

This form of new media community is created and sustained through maintaining connections and links with other bloggers. But how do they do it?

Nuffnang, a global blog advertising community which is based in Malaysia keeps its community active through blogger outings. They constantly carry out movie premieres and paintballing activities as social gatherings for their members. This helps keep one connected with others of similar interests, making them easier to relate to and more familiar with others who are in the same ‘group’.

Once a blogger registers in Nuffnang, the 'Nuffnanger' is able to use social networking tools available in Innit, a community-based feature.

Nuffnang's Web 2.0-heavy Innit interface

Bloggers can chat with each other using the chat box on the right, as well keep updated with the latest and most popular blog post updates, as see in the center of the page.

White (2006) shares that in a ‘Boundaried’ community, there is heavy usage of Web 2.0 tools and yet less emphasis on cross-linking because these features are available through another host. In Nuffnang case, those features are made available by blog hosts such as Blogger.

Nuffnang is only responsible for being the middle person between the advertiser and the blogger, as well as connecting all the bloggers who are hosted under them.

Image Source: Boundaried Communities

Blogging communities make for denser and faster internal connections.

Reference List
Nuffnang 2009, What is Nuffnang, viewed November 11 2009, http://www.nuffnang.com.my

White, N. 2006, ‘Blogs and Community – launching a new paradigm for online community?’, Knowledge Tree, viewed November 11 2009, http://kt.flexiblelearning.net.au/tkt2006/edition-11-editorial/blogs-and-community-%E2%80%93-launching-a-new-paradigm-for-online-community

Wikipedia 2009, Blog: Community and cataloging, viewed November 11 2009, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog#cite_note-13

Blogs as current phenomenon & benefits of blogging to the community

Image by: Geek Culture

With the massive number of over 70 million blogs and growing by 120, 000 everyday, blogs are one of the biggest web phenomenon ever to hit the globe, affecting people of every race, gender, age and citizenship. However there are stark differences in the bloggers and the way they blog, according to Technorati (2007).

European blogging is not as active as in Asia, which reportedly had 30% of the British who had ‘never heard of blogs’ (Brook 2006). Mackenzie (2006) says European bloggers prefer writing journal-like blogs with topics on technology, business and politics, lesser on personal, lifestyle and religious issues. Whereas one in five Asian bloggers are students, and they blog mostly about music and less about politics (Technorati 2008).

In a recent Microsoft survey done, it showed that Malaysia has younger bloggers - up to 74% who are below 25 years old and another 21% for the next age group which is 25 to 34 years old. Malaysian bloggers mostly write personal stuff such as about their perception of the ‘world around them’ (Microsoft 2008).

The Microsoft article also shared the blogging benefits for Malaysian bloggers; that they are an increasingly attractive platform for advertisers as bloggers create higher quality content and attract growing and loyal audiences. Blogs are also used for people to stay in touch with family and friends.

References
Brook, S. 2006, ‘Blogs struggle to impress in UK’, Guardian, viewed November 9 2009, http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2006/jun/20/pressandpublishing.newmedia

Mackenzie, K. 2006, ‘European bloggers find their voice’, Financial Times, viewed November 9 2009, http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/877064e-57be-11db-be9f-0000779e2340.html

Microsoft 2008, Women Rule in Malaysian Blogosphere, viewed November 9 2009, http://www.microsoft.com/malaysia/press/archive2006/linkpage4337.mspx

Technorati 2007, The State of the Live Web, viewed November 9 2009, http://technorati.com/blogging/state-of-the-blogosphere

Technorati 2008, Technorati: State of blogosphere 2008, viewed November 9 2009, http://technorati.com/blogging/feature/state-of-the-blogosphere-2008