Weblogs have been getting more press recently. They’re entering the mainstream consciousness. Some bloggers think they’re important. Some think they’ll slay the mainstream media. They tout the diversity of weblogs. They tout the open discussions. They tout how weblogs are organic self-correcting mechanisms. Maybe one weblog is wrong, but the general diverse blogosphere can provide a clearer picture greater than the sum of its parts. And maybe some weblogs are like that, but on the whole, weblogs aren’t what they’re all cracked up to be. Thus, begins my multi-day critique on the state of the blogosphere.

Part 1: There ain’t nothing synergistic about an echo

To have open discussion, you must first have an open mind. The truth is, most people like their minds closed. They won’t admit it, but they do. People insulate themselves with those who have like opinions. With the news choices out there, you can pick which ones best suit you. The ones that best suit you, of course, will be the ones that present things in the way you agree with. We can have someone watch Fox News and listen to conservative talk radio. That’s their news. That’s their world presented by the filter of other people.

Now, instead of watching only Fox News and listening to conservative talk radio, let’s say they also get their news from that newfangled internet. These people read and keep their own weblogs. If they’re that discerning with their news choices, they will only read weblogs they agree with. And what will they write about?

WHY! Only the issues they know about! With only the viewpoints they know about! They create their own little echo chamber. These people link to each other and repeat the same viewpoints. They don’t contribute to discussion; they echo.

That’s a problem. People insulate themselves from the other side, the things they don’t agree with, and instead of the truth arising, myths simply perpetuate themselves.

That is one reason why I haven’t been writing too much political stuff lately… for fear of becoming an echoblog that has nothing new to add to the discussion.