There’s very little being discussed on the kind of barriers that New/ Alternate/ Non-Mainstream Media breaks. The reason why blogs appears as more spiteful is because they sometimes challenge traditional ways of looking at events. They also make it more difficult to “label”. Nobody has spoken of gender, race, orientation.
Take for instance glorious biological Motherhood. It’s a well known fact that a large number of women suffer from post partum depression. It maybe because the body has undergone changes. But it maybe more so because Motherhood isn’t as wonderful as it is made out to be – given that women don’t get enough support from their families/ communities and partners. I have read blogs that articulate why this depression occurs. Now, this demolishes the traditionally held (safe) reason for the depression experienced. It pinpoints to the partial cause of the disenchantment. It challenges the way we perceive Motherhood by bringing forth experiences, and by bridging the gap between women in various countries and from diverse backgrounds. This could have been done on any medium – however, blogs make it easier – they are more accessible from both the user and creator ends.
Even though many blogs are often anonymous they often feel personal because their authors seem to write more truthfully. Its the medium of blogging that allows many people to say what they might not say face to face. And yes the blog audience is wonderfully varied allowing for so much more opinion and debate to flow. I would say YAY to blogging and the freedom it allows!