Bad News, Richard Posner and New Media(2)

One of the ironies of modern mainstream media is their belief, loudly trumpeted, that they have a major influence on the opinions and outlook of readers. Clearly, there is some influence. But, overall, if the media are all liberal (another myth), then one would assume that everyone watching would also be liberal. In general, if processes of communication were as direct as the media themselves suggest, we as a society would be buffeted by an endless storm of changing opinions and beliefs.

Rather, as is evident in the US., the reverse is true with conservative values firmly dominant in the society as a whole. This suggest that the influence of the media is more diffuse and that in order to understand that influence new models of critical analysis are needed.

These models would make no claims on the effect of the media and would instead examine the plethora of influences that impact on the daily lives of everyone in Western societies. This would include the now complex and multi-layered influences of the Blogosphere.

[Ze Frank](http://www.zefrank.com) at has created a site that amplifies the effects of the blogosphere and provides us with some insight into what he calls the AUTHORSHIP society. With a new Blog being created every second, traditional notions of authorship do not apply. In fact, the spread of authors across many realms means that the vast majority of Blogs are, as I mentioned in the previous entry, small and for a specific community. This extension of the bulletin board in your local community hall provides those who are interested with an insight into the everyday life of a large number of communities. The question is, is that a useful and productive outcome of the creation of the Blogosphere?