“Can Blogs Revolutionize Progressive Politics?”

1. Why do the Democratic leaders embrace blogging as a potential political communication considering the traditional media landscape in politics?

Blogging is an Internet technology that is being targeted for use to gain an audience or following. Blogs, along with features such as discussion boards and e-chatting, allow normal people to participate in politics and let their voices be heard. They’re faster, cheaper and more interactive than other forms of media that reach an audience. With politicians using blogs, they create a tool for normal people to reach out to them to ask for things or respond to actions. Vice-versa, the politician uses the blog to go more in-depth about ideas and inform and persuade people that he or she is the best political figure and the one that can help them. It appears that by using something the common person uses, it can give the appeal that the politician is just the same as a common person.

2. Blogging encourages a participatory culture. In what way does the participatory culture in blogging expand digital media convergence?

Participatory culture through blogging is changing the normal ways in which people participate in politics. Before the interaction of blogging, the only way a person could participate was simply through the voting booth when election time came. Maybe, if someone was lucky, he or she could ask a question if present at a debate. Other than that, the only thing a person could do was listening to the arguments and debates and stances on certain issues and then vote. With blogging, people can participate on a politician’s blogs through comments or reply blogs. People can post their own blogs stating their opinions on certain politicians or issues and others can respond to them. Digital media convergence has expanded because not only can people get more information on certain politicians, but they essentially enter into the world of politics themselves.

3. In the article, the author says: “The ability of the Internet to erase geographical distances can become a structural weakness in elections where district lines and eligibility are key.” How can blogging counter this weakness in the process of turning the netroots to grassroots?

When it comes to blogging about American politics on the Internet, there are, quite simply, no restrictions based on geographical area. Someone does not only see blogs on politics from a blogger from New Jersey; he or she can view blogs on politics from all over the 50 states. The weakness can then be countered and netroots can be turned to grassroots by someone informing others in a certain area about what he or she has learned from others through blogging in terms of ideas or ways of thought.

4. The author spends the second half of the article discussing the lack of diversity in current blogosphere dominated by elite bloggers. Please use the concept of digital convergence to explain how blogs can become the real bearer of freedom, democracy, egalitarianism, and participation in the new media communication?

In the world of new media communication, not one single, non-politician person with a blog has an opinion that is of greater value than another. With new media communication, someone can not only use a blog to express an opinion, but have videos, photos, audio and the like to provide evidence for feeling a certain way and convincing people to think the same way. And if enough people get behind a certain idea, it will be heard as much or more than the thoughts of a popular political blogger.