Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This paper will utilize public controversies regarding the veracity of digitally manipulated photographs to examine norms of discourse and disputation within and between networks of online weblogs (blogs). It will be argued that the structure of the World Wide Web, relying as it does on explicitly linked pages, encourages the development of an oppositional discourse marked by a qualitatively new pace of checking facts and error correction. This environment gives rise to a new kind of political activism – rather than affirming a position and answering objections as in more traditional political activism, activism on the blogosphere is more explicitly fact-checking itself as activism. Within this model, detecting the factual errors of political opponents is itself a type of political activity – it demonstrates bias, illustrates political connections, and ostensibly exposes publicly unjustifiable interests and commitments. This paper will also seek to explore the practical consequences of this type of activism, both in its positive potential for new political networks and in its proven negative impact on the ability of participants to accurately gauge the degree of public support or opposition for their positions.