Blogging Reflection

On my first day of English 105, I was rather hesitant about blogging. I had a lot of common misconceptions: that it was whiney and too personal, to name a few. After reading and writing multiple blogs, my views on internet writing has completely changed. The most challenging part of these posts was to look at them objectively. Some of the pieces I found infuriating and completely one-sided. Others were closer to my own opinions, but sometimes it is even harder to read those impartially, because I agree with the author. I was surprised that a lot of bloggers are very well informed in their fields. I always assumed bloggers were a cheap version of journalists who only pretend to know what they are talking about without any substantial research or support. Andrew Sullivan shattered that view in the first article we read. Even the articles by Hedges, though I firmly disagree with him, were well thought out and well written. My web habits have not really changed that much, but I look at the internet differently. I pay closer attention to what my friends and I write, because I wonder if the internet really is changing the way we think. I also try to read everything, rather than skimming an article or e-mail, because I enjoy reading and I do not want to lose the ability to focus on a novel. It may seem a little bit silly, but a little bit of precaution can go a long way. For the most part, I still chat on Facebook and check my e-mail like every other teenager.