Blogging is broadly defined as “the reverse-chronological posting of individually authored entries that include the capacity to provide hypertext links and often allow comment based responses from readers” (Bruns and Jacobs, 2006: 3). Gossip blogs follow this format with content that centers on entertainment news and are characterized by tones of writing that are “personal, sarcastic and often incredibly biased” (Mulhall, 2007: 10).
Given the similarity in tone to traditional entertainment coverage, it hence can be assumed that gossip blogs are playing a significant factor in the decline in magazine readership. In conjunction, magazine sales of the period ending March 2007 were reportedly down by 5.5 percent (Jackson, 2007). Langdon hence states “technologies are not merely aids to human activities, but also powerful forces acting to reshape that activity and its meaning” (cited in Flew, 2005: 28). Therefore as the blogosphere emerged out of a celebrity-centric society, the blogging platform enables gossip blogs to better serve one of the defining activities of its time that is the consumption of celebrity culture (Miller and Shepherd, 2004). This essay shall now explore how gossip blogs challenge traditional forms of entertainment news.
Given the similarity in tone to traditional entertainment coverage, it hence can be assumed that gossip blogs are playing a significant factor in the decline in magazine readership. In conjunction, magazine sales of the period ending March 2007 were reportedly down by 5.5 percent (Jackson, 2007). Langdon hence states “technologies are not merely aids to human activities, but also powerful forces acting to reshape that activity and its meaning” (cited in Flew, 2005: 28). Therefore as the blogosphere emerged out of a celebrity-centric society, the blogging platform enables gossip blogs to better serve one of the defining activities of its time that is the consumption of celebrity culture (Miller and Shepherd, 2004). This essay shall now explore how gossip blogs challenge traditional forms of entertainment news.
