{"id":1452,"date":"2011-02-26T01:56:14","date_gmt":"2011-02-26T01:56:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2011\/02\/in-the-news-younger-people-not-reading-blogs.html"},"modified":"2011-02-26T01:56:14","modified_gmt":"2011-02-26T01:56:14","slug":"in-the-news-younger-people-not-reading-blogs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2011\/02\/in-the-news-younger-people-not-reading-blogs.html","title":{"rendered":"In the News: Younger People Not Reading Blogs"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New York Times<\/i> recently ran an article called “Blogs Wane as the Young Drift to Sites Like Twitter.”<\/a>  Here’s the core of the article:<\/p>\n

\n

\nBlogs were once the outlet of choice for people who wanted to express
\nthemselves online. But with the rise of sites like Facebook and Twitter<\/a>, they are losing their allure for many people — particularly the younger generation. <\/p>\n

\nThe Internet and American Life Project at the Pew Research Center<\/a>
\nfound that from 2006 to 2009, blogging among children ages 12 to 17
\nfell by half; now 14 percent of children those ages who use the Internet
\nhave blogs. Among 18-to-33-year-olds, the project said in a report last year<\/a>, blogging dropped two percentage points in 2010 from two years earlier. <\/p>\n

\nFormer bloggers said they were too busy to write lengthy posts and were
\nuninspired by a lack of readers. Others said they had no interest in
\ncreating a blog because social networking did a good enough job keeping
\nthem in touch with friends and family.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

As one who blogs (obviously) and has done so for over seven years and who believes that blogging has value (obviously), none of this surprises me in the least. In fact, I’m rather amazed that 14 percent of Internet-using children 12-17 have blogs. I bet most of those blog are mostly inactive.<\/p>\n

Sure, blogging is hard work and takes time. And if your goal is simply to communicate with other people, then you’ll get more rewards from Facebook and Twitter. <\/p>\n

But the news isn’t all bad for blogs. Here are a couple more excerpts:<\/p>\n

\n

\nIndeed, small talk shifted in large part to social networking, said Elisa Camahort Page, co-founder of BlogHer<\/a>, a women’s blog network. Still, blogs remain a home of more meaty discussions, she said. <\/p>\n

\n“If you’re looking for substantive conversation, you turn to blogs,” Ms.
\nCamahort Page said. “You aren’t going to find it on Facebook, and you
\naren’t going to find it in 140 characters on Twitter.” <\/p>\n

. . . . .<\/p>\n

While the younger generation is losing interest in blogging, people
\napproaching middle age and older are sticking with it. Among
\n34-to-45-year-olds who use the Internet, the percentage who blog
\nincreased six points, to 16 percent, in 2010 from two years earlier, the
\nPew survey found. Blogging by 46-to-55-year-olds increased five
\npercentage points, to 11 percent, while blogging among
\n65-to-73-year-olds rose two percentage points, to 8 percent. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Of course, the younger people will get older. Who knows what happens then? My prediction: Facebook and Twitter will no longer be a big deal. The next big deal hasn’t even been envisioned yet. The creators of the next big deal are just beginning to shave. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The New York Times recently ran an article called “Blogs Wane as the Young Drift to Sites Like Twitter.”  Here’s the core of the article: Blogs were once the outlet of choice for people who wanted to express themselves online. But with the rise of sites like Facebook and Twitter, they are losing their allure…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58,128],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cultural-commentary","category-technology"],"yoast_head":"\nIn the News: Younger People Not Reading Blogs - Mark D. 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Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1452"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1452\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}