Understanding the weblog as a medium to enhance the symbolic and cultural capital of writers and their readers

Joke Beyl; Jo Renate Bauwens

Abstract

Starting from the hybrid features of the weblog as a medium of single-voiced self-expression and a medium of social dialogue, we explore how in the use of this medium artists' social value and position are reaffirmed (Chesher, 2005), and how at the same time conventional social relations between cultural producers and cultural publics are demystified (Whiteley, 2007: 215-228). Hence, it is our intention to study how participatory web media, such as weblogs, affect existing social conventions about creating art, experiencing art and the relation between both. Focus is on literary writers as a distinct type of artists and two authors from the Dutch-speaking field of language in particular. Analyzing both qualitatively and quantitatively the blog posts of both authors, we draw attention to the patterns and particularities of the narratives we analyzed in the two cases. Our conclusions are culture-specific and context-dependent, but nevertheless exemplify the competing narratives about artisthood in late-modern society.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	3rd European Communication Conference Hamburg 12-15 October 2010
Editors	Ecrea
Publisher	ECREA
Publication status	Published - Oct 2010
Event	Finds and Results from the Swedish Cyprus Expedition: A Gender Perspective at the Medelhavsmuseet - Stockholm, Sweden Duration: 21 Sep 2009 → 25 Sep 2009

Conference

Conference	Finds and Results from the Swedish Cyprus Expedition: A Gender Perspective at the Medelhavsmuseet
Country/Territory	Sweden
City	Stockholm
Period	21/09/09 → 25/09/09

Bibliographical note

ECREA

Keywords

weblog
writer
narrative

Cite this

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title = "Understanding the weblog as a medium to enhance the symbolic and cultural capital of writers and their readers",

abstract = "Starting from the hybrid features of the weblog as a medium of single-voiced self-expression and a medium of social dialogue, we explore how in the use of this medium artists' social value and position are reaffirmed (Chesher, 2005), and how at the same time conventional social relations between cultural producers and cultural publics are demystified (Whiteley, 2007: 215-228). Hence, it is our intention to study how participatory web media, such as weblogs, affect existing social conventions about creating art, experiencing art and the relation between both. Focus is on literary writers as a distinct type of artists and two authors from the Dutch-speaking field of language in particular. Analyzing both qualitatively and quantitatively the blog posts of both authors, we draw attention to the patterns and particularities of the narratives we analyzed in the two cases. Our conclusions are culture-specific and context-dependent, but nevertheless exemplify the competing narratives about artisthood in late-modern society.",

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AU - Beyl, Joke

AU - Bauwens, Jo Renate

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N2 - Starting from the hybrid features of the weblog as a medium of single-voiced self-expression and a medium of social dialogue, we explore how in the use of this medium artists' social value and position are reaffirmed (Chesher, 2005), and how at the same time conventional social relations between cultural producers and cultural publics are demystified (Whiteley, 2007: 215-228). Hence, it is our intention to study how participatory web media, such as weblogs, affect existing social conventions about creating art, experiencing art and the relation between both. Focus is on literary writers as a distinct type of artists and two authors from the Dutch-speaking field of language in particular. Analyzing both qualitatively and quantitatively the blog posts of both authors, we draw attention to the patterns and particularities of the narratives we analyzed in the two cases. Our conclusions are culture-specific and context-dependent, but nevertheless exemplify the competing narratives about artisthood in late-modern society.

AB - Starting from the hybrid features of the weblog as a medium of single-voiced self-expression and a medium of social dialogue, we explore how in the use of this medium artists' social value and position are reaffirmed (Chesher, 2005), and how at the same time conventional social relations between cultural producers and cultural publics are demystified (Whiteley, 2007: 215-228). Hence, it is our intention to study how participatory web media, such as weblogs, affect existing social conventions about creating art, experiencing art and the relation between both. Focus is on literary writers as a distinct type of artists and two authors from the Dutch-speaking field of language in particular. Analyzing both qualitatively and quantitatively the blog posts of both authors, we draw attention to the patterns and particularities of the narratives we analyzed in the two cases. Our conclusions are culture-specific and context-dependent, but nevertheless exemplify the competing narratives about artisthood in late-modern society.

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KW - narrative

M3 - Meeting abstract (Book)

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