beautiful monsters

Blogging as autobiography

A weblog, or simply a blog, is a web application which contains periodic, reverse chronologically ordered posts on a common webpage (Wikipedia).

History of blogging

Weblogs have been around as long as the web. The first website, built by Tim Berners-Lee, consisted of dated entries, and linked to other websites as they were created. It is archived at the World Wide Web Consortium. More weblogs soon began to spring into being. At the beginning of 1999 there were only 23 known to be in existence (Blood). In July of the same year, Pitas, the first free D.I.Y. tool for creating weblogs, was launched. Soon there were hundreds of blogs.

Changing definitions

On September 7 1999 the Chicago Tribune had an article by Julia Keller, defining a blog as "a Web site that maintains a constantly updated list of links to other sites; those links can deal with any subject or focus on a particular one. Webloggers typically offer pithy, sarcastic commentary about the links." This form of blog is still prevalent, but the definition of blogging has expanded to include new forms. As Rebecca Blood notes, "While weblogs had always included a mix of links, commentary, and personal notes, in the post-Blogger explosion increasing numbers of weblogs eschewed this focus on the web-at-large in favor of a sort of short-form journal." (Blood) These blogs consist essentially of personal diary entries, but they can be accessed by anyone with a web connection.

What does blogging offer?

John C. Dvorak suggests that there are five reasons why bloggers blog: Ego gratification, Antidepersonalization, Elimination of frustration, Societal need to share, and Wanna-be writers. On the subject of Antidepersonalization he elaborates by saying that "When people begin to think that they are nothing more than a cog in the wheel of society, they look for any way to differentiate themselves. The Web log proves they are different. Just read it. You'll see."

Blogging is a unique tool, because it allows people to share their stories in the public arena, but, unlike most forms of publication, the content is not censored. Bloggers can write about anything, regardless of how controversial, unpopular or inflamatory their views may be. Or how mundane. For this is the other important feature of blogging; blogs are not (generally) sold. There is no publisher hovering in the background worrying about profits. There is no one to say "you can't write about what you had for breakfast - nobody wants to read about that." And so, through blogs, we may catch a glimpse of ordinary moments in the lives of ordinary people. People who wouldn’t normally have the chance to share their stories with the world.

Autobiography - coming to you live from...

One personal blog became a global media phenomenon, as the bombs fell on Iraq, and a young man living in Bagdad blogged his first-hand experiences of the war.

The 29-year-old architect began the blog as a way of communicating with a friend who was studying in Jordan. Posting under the pseudonym "Salam Pax," he soon found that as someone blogging in English from the Arab world, his was a unique voice. By criticising Saddam Hussein, he risked becoming one of the thousands who "disappeared" during the regime. By openly writing about being gay, Salam Pax further risked his own safety. The anonymous nature of blogging protected him. ""I am not going to be the first one to carry the flag," he says. "I hide behind computer screens." (Guardian)

In the days leading up to the war major international newpapers picked up on the story, but mostly it was other bloggers who flocked to Salam Pax's blog in the thousands. Blogging provided the opportunity for people around the world to understand what it was like to be living in a country that was about to be attacked. Usually the personal stories of war are told long after the bombing has ceased, but here was an ordinary guy telling his story in real time. We were reading about the events as they actually occurred. His story was personal, and suspenseful. Unlike a book written after an event, we had no idea how the war was going to end, or whether the narrator would survive. Waves of concern spread through the bloggosphere if he had not updated for a few days. Had the phone connections been blown up, or had something worse happened?

23/3
8:30pm (day4)
we start counting the hours from the moment one of the news channels report that the B52s have left their airfield. It takes them around 6 hours to get to Iraq. On the first day of the bombing it worked precisely. Yesterday we were a bit surprised that after 6 hours bombs didn’t start falling. The attacks on Baghdad were much less than two days ago. We found out today in the news that the city of Tikrit got the hell bombed out of it. To day the B52s took off at 3pm, on half an hour we will know whether it is Baghdad tonight or another city.

Only ten days into the war all internet access was closed down, but Salam Pax continued to write, saving his postings until the internet was available again.

Many people doubted that Salam Pax was a real Iraqi - many sceptics were supporters of the war, who disliked his criticisms of US involvement. In time, however, phone calls, meetings and interviews confirmed his authenticity.

There were other warblogs, ranging from BBC correspondents, American supporters of the war, and soldiers. But it was Salam Pax's real-time autobiography that had the most impact, and that made the war real for us, in a way that the mainstream media never could.

Diverse voices

Blogging provides an opportunity for a diverse range of people to air their views. Because a blog can be as anonymous as you want it to be, it is an ideal form for minority groups, those who are denied a voice in the mainstream media, or who risk facing prejudice if they are open about their views. The queer community is one group that has a strong presence in the blogosphere.

Robin Reagler is a lesbian woman living in Houston, Texas. As the non-biological parent of baby Pearl, she writes a blog called The Other Mother, capturing the every day details of pearl’s childhood. This is the sort of journal that many parents keep during the first weeks, months and years of their children’s lives. But Robin also writes about issues that are unique to lesbian parents – such how she ended up being the “other mother” and not the birth mother, as well as moments of lesbian parenting life in Texas.

You know you're the real thing when they write it on your cup at Starbucks: Robin / Pearl's Mom.

You are not alone

Many people experience the feeling of being utterly alone in the world. But by writing our experiences on a blog, we often find there are others who share our feelings. Perhaps because of the indirect nature of blogging – typing into a box rather than sharing with someone face to face – many people find it an easy way to share very personal experiences. And because the internet is so vast, the chance of finding someone else with similar struggles is so much higher than in any face to face situation.

“Phreq” writes a blog called Plasticwrap, in which she posts about what is currently going on in her life, and shares personal challenges.

So I went to see the Eating Disorders service. They are quite tough. They require you to sign up to two sessions a week - if you miss two, you get booted from the programme - and they also make you carry a diary around with you and record everything you eat and drink, immediately, for 20 weeks. The thought of that just freaks me out like I can't explain.

Entries like this, written in the moment, and with such honesty, help others to know that they are not alone in their struggles. Readers are able to post comments, or email the writer, or write their own blog entry and link to the original. Communities are built, advice is shared, and friendships blossom.

The Future

In 1999 Greg Knauss wrote “…how can you not boggle at the level of self-delusion, of self-infatuation, it takes to declare that weblogs… will be alive and well a decade from now? That weblog readership will increase a hundred-fold in that time? That they're an art form?” We’re only halfway through that decade, but the self-infatuation does not seem to be fading away. Some bloggers have lost interest and drifted away, but the majority have not run out of things to say.

Blogging is only available to those who have access to the web, and this of course is one of the limits of blogging. Although we can now share many stories that would not otherwise be told, there are still many more waiting for the opportunity: poverty-stricken people in the Third World or oppressed groups in some societies for example.

Are weblogs autobiographies?

Blogs are very different from traditional forms of autobiography. They are not carefully revised and edited, often they are posted in the heat of the moment. They are most similar to diaries, which are sometimes published (Anne Frank for example). But diaries are usually published because the person has become famous, or because they lived through something (like the holocaust). And they reach us through the hands of editors or publishers, so they can be edited or censored to some extent.

Blogs also differ from traditional forms of autobiography in that they do not, as yet, tell the story of an entire life. But they are, most certainly, autobiographical. And because of their unique characteristics, they offer us an important resource.

Posted by Fionnaigh at November 8, 2004 07:49 PM