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A principalia in the Pinoy blogoshpere?

Author: Alex Category: Politics and Society Tags: Politics and Society

Wednesday
Aug 29, 2007

Author’s Note: This has been a very messy piece with a lot of terms thrown carelessly in the mix. I apologize if you’ve stumbled upon this mess. But such is the purpose of this blog. Mostly masturbatory and selfish.

I was working on a post entitled “Hegemony and the Pinoy blogosphere” and I can’t seem to finish writing it. It was starting to become more of a thesis rather than a blog post. For one, I don’t want to waste the better ones of my writing by self-publishing them here. And I do intend to work on this particular topic for my masters thesis.

A friend and I were discussing all the recent events in the Pinoy blogosphere. The (not so) recent issues of blogging elitism and other scandals have definitely caught our interest. The main issue of our discussion – the concept of a blogging elite.

Hegemony is the existence of dominant bloc of society, that, through influence over another bloc gained not through force but through gained acceptance by the subverted bloc.

It’s quite hard to exactly name people who belong to this “elite” group but possible members can be characterized by their scope of influence in the blogosphere and perhaps their visibility outside the blogosphere. I’d like to dub these “influential” entities in the Pinoy blogosphere as the blogging principalia. As other bloggers have pointed out, salience of thought is not a requirement for influence. Popularity can go a long way.

This is inspired perhaps by this book I was reading on the history of the Philippine elite – the principalia as rooted to the term circa the Spanish era. Now why liken the blogging elite to the principalia? Well there are several similarities.

Financial affluence is definitely one thing that these share. Blogging in itself is an activity of the society-at-large’s elite but those who can actually spend a lot of time conjuring blog posts are those who have much time on their hands. With the exception perhaps to those who rely on blogging for food, a lot of Pinoy bloggers aren’t really concerned as to where they’d get the bigas to cook for dinner.

Education is also another thing. Many of these so-called blogging elite are degree-holders and a great number are also students. According to my quick survey a few months ago, around 80% of the high-traffic Pinoy blogs use English as their medium.

Another is access to influential media. The reform movement during the Spanish colonization comprised of the principalia. And it was through the diversity of their mastery of their different crafts that these propagandistas made their points. Much like with bloggers with new media.

If we view history, while regimes and conquerors have come and gone these same elite are still the ones in power. But it is important to note that diversity is not absent in these ranks. Members of this class aren’t necessarily all share the same advocacies. While I wouldn’t go as far as saying (yet) to say that members of this blogging principalia differ in large-scope ideologies. However, they still exhibit the same power to influence. It is hegemonic still, if we go by the intrinsic meaning of hegemony.

Now my friend and I exchange a few notes here and there and day by day, we are getting a lot more into the idea. We were, after all, more of curious observer-participants in the blogosphere. Our blogs do not get a thousand hits a day. We have not had much visibility in the local scene. But we do blog and we do read other blogs. If there would be a term for us would perhaps be the blogging subaltern. But given this term, “subaltern,” am I asserting that we are to blame for the existence of this principalia (which is the case according to Antonio Gramsci)?

Some thoughts that I’d like to expound on: Influence and Popularity and Identities and Representations.

Comments

Prudence

August 30th, 2007 at 9:10 am

This issue is difficult to ignore and is growing palpable. However, I don’t see there should be a problem about it, nor should we be surprised by it. The blogging community is comprised of a community of human beings. And where there are human beings, there will always be politicking. And as one blogger said, our online community is beginning to reflect the inclinations of an offline (in-the-real-world) community. So, it may actually be a sign that we, as a community, is evolving. But I would have to say it’s a delicate balance that we have to keep from one group from taking complete dominance over the other groups.

dYu

September 1st, 2007 at 10:32 pm

I belong to the grassroots and I will always be :) Isang ordinaryong katipunero sa makabagong mundo ng pakikibaka. Mabuhay po ang lahat ng mga pinoy bloggers.

akosimamangsorbetero

September 1st, 2007 at 11:30 pm

I actually thought about this too a few days back. The only thing that bugs me is that, as you’ve said in one of your sentences in this entry, it’s more of a popularity thing. (Sorry, I quite deviated from your original statement.) Popularity is no wrong. But if in substance it is sure to be lacking, then I don’t know. But I am in no way surprised by this. Sometimes, people just weigh things with basis on everything but their minds.

Just when we thought blogging could be a diversion from real life’s politics. Tsk. Nice entry :) I shall add you to my blogroll, btw. :D

dimaks

September 2nd, 2007 at 6:05 pm

the modern principalia i say. technology may rise to heights but the concept will still lurk. this time with new players and actors, new media etc.

arpeelazaro

September 2nd, 2007 at 8:45 pm

indeed, alex hits home. the more popular bloggers are usually the moneyed ones. reading so many blogs, i have yet to see one who ranted about being miserable because he/she was so poor. darn, having a steady internet connection at home comes at a cost. you can’t maintain a blog from an internet cafe because you can’t upload your pictures or files. maslow will always have the final say self-actualization comes only after you have an abundance of the basics. and very few of us can afford to rise above our monthly bills.

Jon Limjap

September 3rd, 2007 at 7:02 pm

I’ve expressed my own fears of such a principalia in two parts:

http://blog.kapenilattex.com/2007/08/15/do-i-have-to-worry-about-a-mafia-in-the-philippine-blogosphere/
http://blog.kapenilattex.com/2007/08/28/blogging-ethics-cyber-meatspace-wars-and-moral-ascendancy/

benj

September 3rd, 2007 at 7:21 pm

haha, don’t get me started.

Alex

September 4th, 2007 at 8:51 am

Whew, more than a week without checking my own blog:

@akosimamangsorbetero

Not much difference on how we view popularity and influence in our society. Actor-politicians. Baskterballer-politician. Politician-actors. What makes these all possible? Popularity.

@arpeelazaro

Yes. Socio-economics is a large factor that dictates how we get to access media.

@Jon

I agree with a lot of your points. However, I’d rather not use the term “mob” or “mafia.” They’re just a bit alien to our context. I really don’t see the elite of the Pinoy blogosphere as warring clans but more of a rung in our whole society’s strata in which there is power struggle. And to bastardize the analogy more, I even think of it as a bully versus bully versus bully mix while all the rest are spectators (vocal or otherwise).

@benj

Oh no! Eto na po si Benj!

betty lopez

September 6th, 2007 at 1:07 pm

I thought blogging was fun. Its more like a pastime for me. Why discuss about blogging elitism.I really dont care a lot whether they form groups.I just want to express myself and keep my friends and family updated.

Flori

September 7th, 2007 at 9:32 am

@ betty lopez:

i understand what you mean. i also blog for fun
and i leave the more intellectual posts to geniuses like alex and co.
(no sarcasm here, folks).

but to answer your question- why discuss about blogging elitism?

in defense to alex (which he may or may not want, i don’t care),
i believe that his intent was not to maliciously start
a feud amongst bloggers by making an issue out of elitism and such.

i see his posts as merely academic observations of discourse among participants
of an interesting current social phenomenon.
take them as online articles in sociology and linguistics journals
that only members of the academe read.

as a layman, i consider them as food for thought which i gladly digest because
they are intellectually stimulating and because they are a valid study
of the representation of Filipinos in web 2.0.

jayvee f.

September 7th, 2007 at 3:45 pm

i miss blogging “for fun.”

let me rephrase that. i miss blogging without having to have editorial concerns. truth is, nothing has really changed with my line of work. i used to write wholeheartedly or magazines. now, i dont have the pressure of an editorial deadline (although i still maintain a column).

blogging and new media are my main source of income among other small projects here and there. which is why i feel the need to take it more seriously. if i didn’t i’d be no similar to an employee who slacks around.

for me, its not about the principalia – it’s about creating an industry (this forms part of my life goals).

although these social constructs cannot help to be avoided most times. :)

Alex

September 7th, 2007 at 5:06 pm

Same here, Jayvee. I still blog “professionally” for a network and I understand that for some of us, it’s a main source of income.

However, isn’t commercialization an apparatus of the principalia? Just a thought. :D

Anyway, I’ve still yet to refine my take on all of this. Thanks for commenting.

jayvee f.

September 7th, 2007 at 10:43 pm

its a very interesting insight alex. i look forward to expounding on this. for me, it is not the blogs per se, but the real world meet ups that account for a majority of the construct :D


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