Blogs as organizations
The blogosphere audience is of prime importance to advertisers in Egypt; they are the middle class youth advertisers often seek. Peter Golding and Graham Murdock argue that the audience is the commodity as the higher the channel’s viewership is, the more advertisers are willing to pay for a slot (2000, p.75). But as Colin Hoskins et al argue, it goes beyond viewership quantity as “the price advertisers are willing to pay to access an audience also depends on the audience’s demographic characteristic,” (2004, p.255). The blogosphere audience, therefore, is an expensive commodity advertisers hold interest in as they turn more towards online.
From an organizational viewpoint, bloggers can be considered multi-sided platforms, which Osterwalder and Pigneur (2010) define as serving two or more interdependent customer segments; advertisers who finance production and distribution and readers who attract advertisers. “Both segments are
p.21). They explain that customers and companies can have various forms of relationships, including forming communities — formed by being involved with the customer to facilitate connections between community members — and co-creation, getting customers involved in the production and engaging them. Bloggers’ relationship with the readers can be categorized as communities and co-creation, two categories that engage the customers with the brand and create a sense of belonging, which advertisers often seek. Bloggers’ value proposition, “the reason why customers turn to [them],” (Osterwalder and Pigneur, 2010, p.22) is that they are an alternative source of news that breaks through the mass media clutter and is able to cover issues not covered elsewhere without being subjected to the same pressures the media is subjected to. “Some value propositions satisfy an entirely new set of needs that customers previously did not perceive because there was no similar offering,” (Osterwalder and Pigneur, 2010, p.23). One could argue that bloggers have this as their value proposition; an interactive media for the voiceless that speaks the same language to roughly the same age group as the content providers. Also a value proposition is price (as they access the information without paying a fee other than internet access), accessibility (which is valid only to those with internet access) and convenience, (which applies because online users can access information anywhere and anytime). Blogs and micro-blogs provide free access to fresh voices who have on the ground coverage at the fingertips of the readers from any place and at any time.
The dangers of institutionalizing blogs
Scholars fear that commercialization of the internet will work against the potential it has for democracy as they get mainstreamed into larger media
conglomerates or the mainstream economy, allowing them less flexibility and autonomy over content. Habermas argues that in a market economy, the media needs to appeal to the widest audience possible, hence, neutralizing the content to do so, appealing to the lowest common denominator.
Davis (1999), Margolis and Resnick (1997), among other scholars have noted that the internet is colonized by commercial concerns manifested through collaborating and merging with media conglomerates. Papacharissi cites AOL, Napster and Excite as examples of online forums that emerged as alternatives to mainstream media but were merged into larger corporates, forfeiting their singularity (2008, p.21). Murdoch (1994) and King (1995) also argue that it is only a matter of time until media conglomerates take over the internet and merge traditional media with the digital world (cited in McChesney, 1995). This has been already proving partially true with takeovers as well as convergence of newsrooms.
Davis (1999), Margolis and Resnick (1997) argue that commercial concerns of the internet neutralize and standardize its content, much like traditional media.
Habermas and other scholars, including Putnam (1996) and Hart (1994), argue that the public sphere has been ruined by forces of commercialization and corporate conglomerates, transforming it into a vehicle for capitalist hegemony and ideological reproduction. Commercialization of blogs, therefore, might hinder their objectivity, credibility and editorial direction and voice. Because bloggers did not have to answer to an editor, advertiser or sponsor before, they were not afraid to tackle certain taboo issues. If they do attempt to generate revenue, the revenue streams adopted might mean they will
have to answer to someone, which in turn might hinder the autonomy they have over their content. Depending on advertisements also means depending on the most hits possible, and so possibly tailoring their product to fit the mass product to get the most audience. “The premium prices are commanded by shows that can attract and hold the greatest number of viewers,” (Golding and Murdock, 2000, p.75). In fact, Mohamed’s research on Egyptian blogs concluded that readership increases as topics covered became more controversial (2010). In a book by two expert bloggers to guide beginners on how to make their blogs popular and generate revenues, Forrester and Powell (2008) warn users against being overly opinionated and advise them to keep a positive tone. This is an indication that professional bloggers, under financial pressures to appease advertisers by a neutral content that does not oppose their interests or drive away traffic, may neutralize their content and limit the issues covered. “Keep in mind that if those opinions clash with the best interests of advertisers, you could have problems,” (Forrester and Powell, 2008, p.3).
Although the issue of commercial interests and editorial integrity is present in any medium, the issue is more problematic in the blogosphere where no set of regulations and codes of conducts govern. Bloggers are not subjected to any editorial constraints nor do they follow any organizational or professional regulations, values and codes of conduct to revert to. Philip Eliot argues that working for prestigious media organizations like the BBC and the
Time magazine carries with it notions of appropriate styles and behavior that
leads to audience respect (1977, p.147). It also means, however, that there is often a conflict between different ideals or goals of the reporters, or conflict over control and autonomy in the workstation (Elliott, 1977, p.147). “The
demands of commerce, the despised polar position in the dilemma have come to invoke most types of control over the creative process,” (Elliott, 1977, p.147). This is a double-edge sword as it was this particular independence that allowed bloggers to discuss issues that were not discussed before, but it is also this non-compliance with rules that makes many scholars question the editorial direction, integrity, objectivity and overall balance of the content provided on blogs. This also means that if they are subjected to commercialization, there are no guides or rules to separate editorial from advertisement interests as is theoretically the case with other media outlets. It also means that there are no rules or guidelines to ensure quality if the time dedicated to blogging is hindered with the lack of funds, there is no editor to ensure compliance to standards. Elliott (1977) divides journalists into straight reporters who give facts and let readers decide, participant and committed journalists who give facts, backgrounds, analysis and even opinions on behalf of readers. We can assume bloggers mostly fall under that second category; the committed journalists. As Elliot (1977) and other media scholars contend, these are the hardest to follow moral codes and ethics because they are driven by a need to give opinions and often reject rules. This means that advertisers might shy away from advertising on their blogs because of the lack of journalistic guidelines and their opinionated coverage.
McChesney (1995) compares the development of the internet to that of the radio, which started out with great hopes for democratization in the 1920s. He explains that eventually, the medium developed from being controlled by amateurs and non-profit groups to being commercialized. This, McChesney argues, has already been seen in the internet’s computer networks which were
eventually privatized after being subsidized (1995). Although this article was written in 1995, when the effects of the internet could not yet be fully detected, the argument and questions posed still remain relevant. Scholars try to speculate the effect of commercialization on the internet and whether or not a medium like the blogosphere might yield to commercial interests as have many traditional media outlets.