“Liveblogging” and the Wireless Internet

If there's one thing people like, it's having something instantly, whether it's microwave popcorn, the latest gadget, or the newest spring fashions. Another thing it seems people like instant access to is information. When it comes to the Internet, people's desire for instant information, along with the ability to instantly transmit one's thoughts and comments via mobile broadband service, has made for a new and interesting Internet phenomenon: "liveblogging."



Liveblogging is blogging to provide real-time coverage of an event. Liveblogging can be a sort of "man on the scene" instant reporting, or a secondary commentary on a television show or other broadcast. In its operation, it is really no different from live television news coverage, or a live report on a radio broadcast, only the medium, of course, is the Internet. With Internet access arguably more widespread than television or radio penetration (for example, in offices), it is arguable that more people are reachable for live news updates and therefore liveblogging via the Internet than by other forms of media, at least during the workday. Access to "liveblogs" via wireless Internet service also makes it even easier to transmit instantaneous updates to subscribers.



One example of liveblogging being used to cover rapidly changing events occurred early in 2011 with the protests that erupted in many Arab countries against these nations' longtime despotic leaders. A piece in the UK's "Guardian" newspaper discussed how reporters on the ground used liveblogging to rapidly get information about the constantly changing events in these countries without the hassle of having to write and rewrite a more complete article. The "Guardian" piece discussed the fact that many people prefer the more definitive stance that reporters usually take in traditional newspaper articles, and feel that liveblogs are just a dump of raw news without any context. However, the Internet's ability to comment on its content has brought with it a generation of people who are very skeptical about the authoritativeness of any source and greatly prefer to see raw information as it is uncovered by journalists, in order to disseminate and comment on it. In the same vein, this "Guardian" article explains that journalism's future may lie more in the provision of raw information and its rapid dissemination more than in fashioning narratives from edited versions of this information. In this way, we can see how liveblogging will be an important new phenomenon as the Internet continues to stretch into more and more corners of our lives.



Liveblogging also has its fun side, too. Many newspapers, such as the New York Times, hired livebloggers to broadcast play by play updates of 2010 World Cup games, which were especially useful since most Americans were at work during the games. The website Gawker frequently liveblogs the "Real Housewives" and other "reality TV" programs, and even the most unlikely suspects, such as the "Minute to Win it" gameshow, can be subject to liveblogging. Given increasing access to wireless Internet service worldwide, this does not appear to be a trend that will be slowing down in the near future.



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