Advisory: Blogs give voice to society’s marginalized, says WFU expert
A Wake Forest University expert who specializes in communication technology says the Internet phenomenon of blogging gives an outlet of expression to an element of society that previously did not have a voice.
“The traditionally marginalized segment of our society and those who didn’t have a voice, those groups are finally getting a voice through blogs,” says Ananda Mitra, an associate professor of communication at Wake Forest who has studied blogs (Web logs) within the context of culture and technology.
Mitra says communication technologies such as blogs have changed the way we consider space, time and voice. He wrote “From Cyber Space to Cybernetic Space: Rethinking the Relationship between Real and Virtual Spaces” in the Journal of Computer Mediated Communication to examine the relationship between cyberspace and the people who use it. He says cybernetics, the relationship between man and machine, is a more accurate way of describing today’s technology.
“There is a misconception that cyberspace is its own dwelling place,” Mitra says. But we are constantly dwelling in both the virtual world and reality.”
Mitra has written numerous journal articles about communication technology and is comfortable with print and broadcast media interviews. He is available for comment on the Internet, blogging and cultural differences in use of communication technology. To arrange an interview, contact Sarah Mansell at manselss@wfu.edu or 336-758-4393.
