The BBC strategic review (PDF) of its services has been widely covered in the media, with much of the focus on the scrapping of 6 Music and cuts to BBC Online.
Buried in the document is a phrase that is reminiscent of how big media used to talk about the Internet a decade ago.
In a discussion of public space in the digital age, the review talks about the “vast and unruly world of the blogosphere.”
I was surprised at the language. Unruly? Well, to an extent, yes. But why not say vibrant, lively or even boisterous? In its choice of words, the BBC appears to dismiss the contribution that blogging is making to the public sphere.
Maybe someone should remind Mark Thompson that the BBC, itself, is part of the blogosphere, with dozens of BBC blogs.
Perhaps Forrester analyst Nick Thomas when he says that “Mark Thompson does not ‘get’ digital in the way that even his much-maligned predecessor John Birt did.”
It seems odd that the strategic review says the “internet is now the BBC’s third core medium” and that the”internet then is not an optional extra: it is the future for the BBC.”
But there is little about investment in the web, and more about cuts and “refocusing”, with the corporation spending 25% less on BBC Online by 2013.
PDF
[...] as academic and blogger Alfred Hermida flagged up, the BBC Strategic Review labelled the blogosphere as “vast and unruly”. The report [...]
“Vast” certainly. “Unruly” – seems an accurate description of the kind of abuse I’m getting on a regular basis…
but not as “vast” after you have removed so many posts..the majority which carry nothing you could class as abuse…but as is being pointed out on the bbc blogs and messageboards the common denominator for much of the posters anger is indeed you and your aggressive style..the sooner you see that the better..
“Vast” certainly. “Unruly” – seems an accurate description of the kind of abuse I’m getting on a regular basis…
Hi, Nick. I am a relative newcomer to BBC blogging and do not wish to abuse anyone, be they BBC staff or fellow bloggers.. but what I have noticed is that polite enquiries on blogs are often met with silence, while perceived ‘abuse’ is responded to quickly.
Is this a case of ‘the squeaky wheel gets the oil’?
I will continue to be courteous in my dealings with BBC representatives on blogs and on message boards, but I will also continue to challenge what I perceive is against the spirit of fair and equal communication between the BBC and its social media-using licence payers. I would like to think we are ultimately all on the same side.