There has been a dramatic shift in what individuals expect out of their media consumption in the 21st century, with media needs changing from merely imbibing information, to wanting to actively participate in contemporary conversations. A live blog is defined as “a web-native, participatory-oriented journalistic genre comprised of brief updates of an event in motion and designed to deliver real-time information from multiple sources about breaking news and scheduled events” (Pantic, 2020). Therefore, it allows for real-time commentary on certain events which leads to increased real-time conversation and participation to spark amongst people.
Engagement matters
Interestingly, live-blogs lack traditional chronology, alongside being caught up in rapidly changing facts, and unlike traditional media content, they might not present a completed story. Thus, the question arises, what is so appealing about the medium of live-blogs? The answer is clear – it is interactive and fosters public engagement. Contemporary audiences do not want to idly consume media, they wish to participate in the conversations about current affairs, and this is demonstrated by the new-age media trends, which include “interactivity, immediacy, changing relationships between story producers and consumers, transparent storytelling and utilization of user-generated content in news stories” (Pantic, 2019).
Another aspect of live-blogs that drives the public to engage with them is their use of multimedia elements, whether that pertains to “social media posts, videos, photographs, hyperlinks and other items” (Pantic, 2019). The ills of a fast-paced life have become abundantly clear to us all, the most salient being diminishing attention-spans. Hence, another appealing factor that live-blogs have is that they cater to the desire for immediacy that humans have now developed. One does not need to wait for an event to conclude before they can learn more about it from traditional media sources – on the contrary, individuals can immediately begin conversing on any situation, owing to the nature of live-blogging, which can only occur in real-time. Thus, “live blogs give the ability to post significant developments quickly – more quickly than editing and re-editing a news article” (Wells, 2011).
Furthermore, an interesting facet of live-blogging is that it is a collective effort, since it “draw[s] in the expertise of the audience – and even take input from journalists on rival publications” (Wells, 2011). However, the medium is not without its faults. Since live-blogs are real-time reports on events, they do not have a definite conclusion in sight. The stories can become long and winding, without any coherence, thus, “providing readers with raw material rather than telling them a story” (Wells, 2011). In addition to this, public participation, which can occur in the form of live commenting and tweeting, needs to be managed properly, otherwise the section may fall prey to trolling, unwanted comments, or even just poor management. Furthermore, individuals may prefer to use social media to update themselves about a particular event, over live-blogs, though the credibility of the latter is stronger than other social media platforms. Thus, live-blogging is a new digital phenomenon, which “rather than foretelling the death of journalism… is surely the embodiment of its future” (Wells, 2011).
References
Ingram, M. (2009, April 30). The benefits of a live-blog: news, discussion and “crowd-sourcing”. Nieman Lab. https://www.niemanlab.org/2009/04/the-benefits-of-a-live-blog-news-discussion-and-crowd-sourcing/
Pantic, M. (2019). Gratifications of digital media: what motivates users to consume live blogs. Media Practice and Education, 21(2), 148–163. https://doi.org/10.1080/25741136.2019.1608104
Pantic, M. (2020). Engagement With Live Blogs: When Passive Consumption Overpowers Participation. Electronic News, 14(1), 22-36. https://doi.org/10.1177/1931243120910449
Sandberg, T. (n.d.). How to live blog: 5 tips to get started. Falmouth University. https://www.falmouth.ac.uk/news/how-live-blog-5-tips-get-started
Thurman, N., & Walters, A. (2012). LIVE BLOGGING–DIGITAL JOURNALISM’S PIVOTAL PLATFORM? A case study of the production, consumption, and form of Live Blogs at Guardian.co.uk. Digital Journalism, 1(1), 82–101. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2012.714935
Wells, M. (2011, March 28). How live blogging has transformed journalism | Blogging. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2011/mar/28/live-blogging-transforms-journalism
Author: Ms. Pragya Dhiman
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