Blogging vs Social Media

Steven Bradley Twittered about a recent study that is doing the rounds of the media:

“Blogging Is Out, Facebook Is In, Study Finds” – http://bit.ly/bTIQ6D – yeah, totally agree Blogging was so 80′s anyhow…”

Tongue-in-cheek aside, Steven’s point that the new social media is replacing more “traditional” forms of interactivity on the web, like blogging, is erroneous.

In fact, I would argue strongly that blogging and social media such as Facebook are completely different forms of expression. One is mostly a one-way form of information delivery, while the other is like a cyber-playground or, if you are old enough, a club.

I wouldn’t even count blogging as a form of social media. Just as I don’t really see Twitter as social media either. And teens seem to agree with this assessment as the study found they stay away from Twitter in their droves.

Both blogging and Twitter are information delivery services and, as such, have a heavily weighted one-sided stream of information come from them. That is not to say they are entirely one-sided, but the way they are constructed and used is mostly for information delivery, with feedback secondary.

While sites like Facebook are made and used purely for open communication; to socialize.

I think my reply to Steven sums up my thoughts:

Blogging out? Hmmm… just because the young are distracted by being social (what has changed?) just means more coherent blogs.

Your thoughts?

Image credit: Pink Sherbet Photography