Yet again, another MSM story about the blogosphere and it’s growing influence over politics repeats the canard that the blogosphere is populated by children tapping away in their PJs. From the Chicago Sun-Times via DailyKos:
But Sree Sreenivasan, new media professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, says the effectiveness of Web sites and blogs as political tools may only go so far: “It’s still a small percentage of people using these technologies.”
Most are young and what Sreenivasan terms “early adaptors.” And, as he concludes, the impact of young voters “is notoriously hard to predict.” It was thought they were going to turn out in big numbers in 2004 but that didn’t happen.
In the end, who has time to blog? After reading four newspapers each day and my e-mails and doing my work, I’ve had it. Blogging remains a luxury for the young — or the bored.
Firedoglake quotes from the 2006 Blogads readership survey to beat back the bunkum:
The median political blog reader is a 43 year old man with an annual family income of $80,000. He reads 6 blogs a day for 10 hours a week. 39% have post-graduate degrees. 70% have contributed to a campaign.
Mr. Sreenivasan is a new media professor? What kind of “new” media? Telegraph?
