Just a quick observation. It seems people are easily influenced by people and perspectives they appreciate. Especially bloggers on the internet. If one person brings up a point, whether it is factual or not, it creates a firestorm of copycats repeating the same phrase almost verbatim.
Just look at the election race today. We have bloggers posting “truths” about certain politicians, and in some cases those “truths” turn out to be false. Because these faux-journalists were quick to break a story, or spread a rumor, they in turn damaged their own reputation (not that bloggers have much of a reputation).
I’ve noticed a bit of the lemming syndrome too. Even on sites I like. A blogger will make a statement, and instead of arguing with some amount of intelligence, plenty of people will just easily accept the point and make it their own without seriously considering other arguments.
This is not just limited to politico bloggers. You can definitely deem many sports bloggers just as guilty. When the spygate scandal broke out, I think Belicheat and Cheatriots became the most popular search terms during that month.
In conclusion, I believe the internet to be full of information, but it can be a tough task of deciphering whether or not that information is of any value.
Tags: blogging
Arrogant New Englander 
September 19, 2008 at 9:23 pm |
believe half of what you “see” and none of what you “read”…well the saying says “hear” but I thought it appropriate…
never mind, you cant believe this anyway.
I think a lot of bloggers mistake opinion for fact. such I believe the Padres are the best team out there…sadly the facts tell a different story.
its way easy for a story true or not to travel the world over before the truth can get out.
It’s the new media