Author
Abstract
Received in: 04/07/2014
Accepted in: 03/11/2015
Introduction and problematic of research: The major objective of this paper is to study and shows how the frequency of blogging has been reduced in post-2010 period. And this, in turn, has resulted in the abandonment of blogging in more recent years. A historical review of the issue indicates that since 2001, when the first Iranian blog appeared on the internet, blogging received a remarkable and enthusiastic body of users among Iranians. Subsequently, the Persian language became the fourth global blogosphere. This process, however, did not continue something that needs to be academically addressed. An empirical field research was launched in order to explore the main reasons behind blogging and its demise and or its abandonment. Here in this paper, I will explore the reasons for abandonment of blogging. I will use a psycho-sociological analysis of the characteristics of bloggers to account for the abandonment of blogging.
Theoretical framework: I used three theoretical approaches to address the issue, as follows: first, I used the theories concerned with the psychology of communication and social psychology (i.e., Lipiansky, 2005 and 1992; Picard and Edmond, 1991). Second, I used social philosophy approach (i.e., Honneth, 2007) to combine it with psychological factors involved in blogging, and finally, I used the theories that are concerned with social networking (i.e., Merklé, 2011 Lardellier, 2010).
Here, psychology of communication played the major role to outline the theoretical background of the paper on which the theoretical framework of this study was based. I would like to emphasize that being recognized plays an important role in identity construction of the bloggers and if that is not met through blogging there is no reason for the blogger to continue blogging. Lipiansky (2005) and Picard and Edmond (1991) show that for the most part, subjective identity is shaped through contact with the others. Thus, the search for recognition is one of the fundamental dynamics of interpersonal relationships/communication. Lipiansky (2005) identifies five principles identity needs, the existence, valorization and integration of which are addressed. Cooley creates the concept of looking-glass self, stating that a person's self grows out of social interpersonal interactions and the perceptions of the others. According to Mead, judgment of others plays an important role in self construction.
Axel Honneth (2007) identifies three spheres of interaction which are connected to the three “patterns of recognition” necessary for an individual’s development of a positive relation-to-self. These are love, rights, and solidarity. Thus, he speaks about the need of recognition and the individual needs that his or her abilities are recognized. This recognition brings social esteem for him.
The third part of the theoretical framework concerns theories of social network on the internet in communication studies. They show how theses social networks (Facebook and Google Reader in our research) help the user to create a relationship or save it.
Methodology: To complete our investigations, we selected two technologies that will enable us to collect the needed information. First, to study the content of messages sent by bloggers, I made a manual thematic content analysis of six months of thirty blogs and their comments, a technique that promotes a systematic and objective description of the content of the texts. Secondly, to get deeper with the observations and analysis of the blog posts, I conducted some semi-structured interviews with the authors in summer 2007. In 2011, we conducted second round of interview to know des reasons of abandonment of blogging.
We had five criteria to choose the blogs: 1) the blog should be active 2) it should be written in Persian 3) self-expression: he or she must have spent the majority of his or her posts to explain his or her life. 4) the reader must be able to comment on the posts, 5) the blog must have at least one year of seniority.
Findings and discussion: First, we show that the bloggers begin to write their blogs in order to meet some psycho-social needs: need of recognition and affirmation. The bloggers affirm that receiving comments is one of the principal reasons of blogging. They also obtain recognition via the comments of their readers. Thus, the need of existing and valorization are satisfied. Furthermore, they satisfy the need of integration via friendship circles. The satisfaction of the identity need makes the blogger to continue blogging.
Then, we show if these identity needs are not satisfied, bloggers abandon their blog or make use of other means of cyber space. This research shows that the different elements as filtering, control and social pressure and other emerging media like social networks play a role in the abandonment of the blog, because they make the blogger unable to meet their identity needs or they allow to better meeting them.
Thus, three principal reasons of this phenomenon are technical problems, social pressure and social network on the internet. The technical problems such as filtering and the internet flow prevent the readers to access simply to blogs, so the number of readers decreases and bloggers miss the motivation to continue blogging. The control and the pressure from entourage as family, friends or colleagues is the second reason. These factors lead the bloggers self-censorship and finally the abandonment of blog. At least, the social network on the internet gives the best opportunity if self-expression to the user who is able to receive comments and create relationships. Facebook and Google Reader are two social networks used by surveyed bloggers. According to them theses social networks have more advantage compared to blog, can easily replace blog and satisfy the identity need.
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