Blogs are places of discussion, interaction, and at times, arguments. However, as Trish Roberts-Miller feels in Parody Blogging and the Call of the Real, blog discussions have become too one sided. Instead of being places of debate with varying points of view, blogs are instead hosting narrow points of view.
The beginning of the article addresses arguments, which are, according to Roberts-Miller, “…distinguished from the other modes of discourse because it is supposed to consist of assertions or propositions, which may or may not be logically linked to one another”. Basically, when arguing, there should be different positions involved to give a greater view on the topic. Without varied points of view, it is not an argument but a simple conversation.
Blogs provide the desired places for intelligent arguments and discussions to occur. Yet why argue? Arguments can give readers and other bloggers a new perspective on several topics. They allow bloggers to express their thoughts and have others respond to them. By arguments though, I do not mean shouting fests with childish name-calling. Arguments on blogs should be kept civil and intelligent, filled more with insight than insults.
Roberts-Miller has found that blogs are not living up to her expectations.
“I had thought that the proliferation of blogs would have the effects many people have claimed for them- a more open and public sphere of participatory argumentation rather than simply expression.”
Yet blogs instead blogs are more one-sided areas to express feelings and true arguments rarely take place. As pointed out, blogs only work as places to host productive arguments if a diverse group of people reads them. “Blogs, as much as newsgroups and mailing lists, tend to attract people with similar philosophies.” Most people visit a political blog of a certain party to read and agree with what has been written, not to argue against it (although, during the election, this may not have been the case. But you understand my example.) Blogs bring together people with the same interests the same way clubs and organizations do. The smaller amount of people who oppose the topic, the smaller number of views contributing to an argument.
Roberts- Miller obviously finds this ironic that blogs are not being used for their potential purpose. So she created a parody blog that mimics the vain, trivial topics blogs are sometimes used for. However, throughout her experiment, she found that blogs are not as insignificant for arguments as she once thought. An area where people are united by a common topic can be enjoyable and become an outlet for anyone to express their thoughts and opinions. Not all blogging has to focus on being an outlet for arguments.
In my limited experience, I have also found that blogging acts as a community of people that share common interests. Similar to what Charles Lowe and Terra Williams wrote in Moving to the Public: Weblogs in the Writing Classroom, blogging brings people, students, together through the topic, such as a class. Classroom blogging is more about interaction than arguing though. Students learn about each other and share stories and ideas. I have a connection to my Writing for the Internet class through my blog that I may not have without it. The blog allows me to read the feelings and works of my classmates, and they can do the same on mine. We all comment and socialize through the blog. It is the perfect area for interaction, and, probably, for argument. Like Roberts- Miller found in her experiment, the unity of the blog group is important and the thoughts and opinions expressed in it are not so trivial.