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wednesday, november 21, 2001
War Weblogs - Down the left column of this page is a long kudzu-like list of links to other sites, and near the top is a group I've added over the past two months: war related web logs.
I've recently "refreshed" it, and you'll notice some of them have human names, some have site names, and some are kinda vague (you'll also notice I alphabetize funny ... by first name ... but that's the way my mind works when searching for a link). But all these people and many others represent an entirely new phenomenon.
The 1996 Atlanta Games were the first Olympics where an individual could publish their experiences and opinions to a wide audience, on the web. And this war is the first time Americans could easily publish their opinions about the war, or even their experiences in NYC on 9-11. Once individual Americans required that the medium be supplied to them to be heard, by being interviewed by a newpaper or TV reporter, or by having their letter to the editor published. You once had to attract the attention of the media in some way to get your viewpoint before a large audience. In my opinion, this is the root of burning flags, or people in effigy. It ensures coverage.
That kind of thing is not required any longer. "America's first war of the Internet age is spawning a new cohort of protesters who take for granted the ability to consult a vast array of international news sources with a few mouse-clicks and is teaching old activists new tactics."
Also note, some of those linked are journalists and writers, and there are more like them with web sites. Surely they are earning as many pennies for their words as they can, as they always have, but they also offer up their thoughts in their weblogs. I'd imagine they in particular would enjoy the freedom of publication a weblog can offer, with no deadline, no min/max wordage, no editor over your shoulder. Their views are spread instantly, as are those of Joe or Jane WarBlogger, and the best of it gets passed around the Big Link Party. It's a further example of the level playing field the web offers, in a new application.
It's not exactly a revolution. More of an evolution. But one worth noting. As someone who has rooted through 135 year old letters to learn more about what life was like in an American War, I have to believe weblogs will play a similar role for future historians and curious citizens, rooting around webarchivist.org or someplace similar in 2136.
So watch yer spellin', folks.
