full posts
Weblog serves as a communication hub
I've been thinking about whether weblogs can be a medium for discourse. Just last night it came to me: Habermas makes a distinction within communicative action, between conversation and discourse. I figured that no single medium can offer a platform for discourse, so weblogs as a sole medium can't be seen as discourse. Rather, weblogs are a very good startingpoint for discourse. The weblog can serve as a filter for getting to know people who are interested in the same things. Through weblogs one can have conversations with 'self' and (preferably) others. These conversations can transcend into discourse when people start using multiple communication tools simultaneously (VoIP, chat, forum, e-mail, wiki, webcam etc.), and ultimately start meeting eachother face-to-face. BlogWalk is a very good example of these f-t-f meetings.
What I'm actually saying is that no medium solely can bring communication to the level of discourse. Combining different media is the strength and the weblog serves as a communication hub (see also my previous post about weblogs as a communication hub).
I've added a reference-page
For all those who are interested in blogrelated articles: I've created a page with references to articles I came across so far for my research. If there are articles missing which you think shouldn't be missed, please let me know (my e-mail address is on the left). In the left bar I've also created a permanent link to the reference-page.
Remembrance
Today, May 4, the Dutch will commemorate the victims of WW II. It is the day before the official liberation of the Netherlands (May fifth) and for years this day has been a day of remembrance. Tonight at 8 PM people all over the country will hold two minutes of silence to rethink what happened over half a century ago.
As a child, I used to hate this day. Playing in the local wind orchestra I had to play on this evening every year. The commemoration took place at the local monument somewhere at the outskirts of our little village. All I can remember is that it was always cold and playing with numb fingers was no fun. As a child I didn't know what it was all about. My grandfathers, who were the only relatives that lived during the war and were still alive when I was born, both died when I was very young. Therefore I was never able to ask them questions about what it was like, having to deal with a war. Now, growing older, I've got so much questions I want to ask them. I really miss that piece of historical knowledge from my own family.
During the years I've grown to love this day. It is so important that people give it a moment's thought about what is going on in the world. Young people need to realize that they are lucky they can live in freedom. At the same time there are so many people that still suffer from war, whether the war is already in the past or whether their country is still at war.
Tonight I will remember that people have fought and lost their lives to preserve the country I grew up in. I will think of all the suffering in the world due to wars, that mostly make no sense to me. At the same time I will celebrate that I'm luckily living in a free country, and hope I'll never be caught up in war.
