Friday, August 24, 2007

Blogs - to be feared or abused

While access to wordpress sites have been banned in Turkey, across the Hellespont in Greece, blogs are increasingly being seen as a political tool by the major parties. Numerous leaks to the media have revealed that political parties will use blogs to circumvent laws banning the publishing of Opinion Polls two weeks prior to election day, and this way publish polls showing how 'popular' they are and thereby influence public opinion. Since blogs are based... well where ARE they based, wherever its servers are, they can publish outside local restrictions and anonymously.

If this subversive co-opting of blogs does go ahead this will drastically change the perception of blogs. No longer will they be seen as individual expressions of thought but rather people will have to judge them more critically, the same way the other media is scrutinised. It may also turn people off blogs altogether.

It does illustrate a difference in attitudes in the two different countries. Turkey is following old school methods by restricting access to them, a method which ultimately draws more attention to them and raises their importance to the public and people will always find ways around restrictions making it a futile gesture.

Whereas Greece's co-option brings blogs to the same level as government propoganda, disenchants the public and ultimately turns people away.
The question then is, which is worse?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Vassili,
According several surveys, blogs are more trustworthy than newspapers especially when politics are involved..))
Have it here in a PPP but can not attach it.
Its a very interesting study.

Anonymous said...

Interesting how you compare the 'situation in both Turkey and Greece'.
I am a person from Norway and friend of Hans. Not used to all this at all...in fact: our newspapers don't have so much sensational news at all!

Anonymous said...

Great work! well done, This blog is getting more interesting:)

Anonymous said...

Thanks!
Btw, you are a polyglot as well...))