Blogwars - authenticity and value in the blogosphere

Abstract

A case study of a 'blogwar' centred around a short-lived 'hateblog' that occurred mostly in the Singaporean blogosphere, with some input from Malaysia. In this case, the renown of the protagonists, and the viciousness of the attack, combined to make the PB blog a 'productive' temporary locus of online discursive activity. Theoretically, the approach taken shall draw upon Bourdieu's concepts of social capital and practice; Bakhtin's concept of dialogics, prosaics and social change; Appadurai's concept of "commodity candidacy" as well as discussions of value and authenticity. Miller & Slater are important in shaping the ethnographic approach to the internet, rooting online practices in offline contexts.It is argued that through the posts and comments of those who condemn, support, or merely wish to be entertained by, the blogwar, it is possible to explore the underlying practices and norms of blogging. Methodologically, the short timeframe enabled the gathering of most - possibly all - related blog posts and comments. These were subjected to content analysis, and the results analysed statistically and with social network analysis tools.