No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the author.
Blogging the Unfinished Story in Post-Katrina New Orleans
Abstract
With the growing familiarity of the blog genre, much has been published about the use of information and communication technologies for grassroots and community endeavors, but there is still research to be done, particularly of placeblogs that coincide with sites of natural and/or national disaster. Unlike other scholarly Internet inquiries where issues of identity might influence the structures and processes of the research, the population discussed here stands out in its transparent use of blogs and other Web 2.0 technologies. The New Orleans blogger community proves to be one built upon the shared experience of Hurricane Katrina and is thereby focused on reporting the facts surrounding and actions needed for recovery to take place. While their individual blog audiences may be small, their disclosing details about their lives ‘after the levees broke’ allows these ‘NOLA Bloggers’ to be in control of their storm stories and potentially receive feedback within minutes of sharing, which is fundamental during times of crisis. After a brief overview of my autoethnographic research methods, I present a profile of a blogger whose writing presents readers with a truer understanding of what life is like in post-Katrina New Orleans. Since the hurricane hit in 2005, Charlotte’s writing has progressed from emotional outpourings of survivor’s guilt to reflective posts illustrating the way web 2.0 technologies have empowered her local identity since the storm.
In this article, we highlight the social processes involved in the construc-tion of cultural trauma and repair, and how these processes are digitally mediated. In national news coverage following hurricane Katrina, a number of displaced residents saw threats to a particular cultural identity they shared with the city. This motivated them to blog. Through their blogging, they took part in constructing cultural trauma and repair. Drawing largely on interview data and qualitative content analyses of blog posts of New Orleans resident bloggers, we show how geographically scattered individuals used blogs to foment cultural trauma by directing each other's attention to these threats. We then demonstrate how they engaged in cultural repair by producing cultu-rally affirming counter-narratives and physical collective actions. With this research, we build on existing literature in cultural trauma theory in three ways. We identify the nuanced and long-term processes that underlie the construction of both cultural trauma and repair. We highlight how digital media allow users to transcend the boundaries between carrier agents and audiences. We illustrate the duality of digital media in the creation of cultural trauma and repair, where the media serves as both the field upon which collective identity is contested, and a tool wielded in these battles.
This article reports that blogging is sometimes viewed as a new, grassroots form of journalism and a way to shape democracy outside the mass media and conventional party politics. Blog sites devoted to politics and punditry, as well as to sharing technical developments, receive thousands of hits a day. But the vast majority of blogs are written by ordinary people for much smaller audiences. This article reports the results of an ethnographic investigation of blogging in a sample of ordinary bloggers. Researchers investigated blogging as a form of personal communication and expression, with a specific interest in uncovering the range of motivations driving individuals to create and maintain blogs. Blogs combine the immediacy of up-to-the-minute posts, latest first, with a strong sense of the author's personality, passions and point of view. They found tremendous diversity in blog content, even in their limited sample. On the serious side, a graduate student in genetics, posted commentaries on science and health, covering such topics as AIDS, heart disease, science education and health care policy.
This methods book will guide the reader through the process of conducting and producing an autoethnographic study through the understanding of self, other, and culture. Readers will be encouraged to follow hands-on, though not prescriptive, steps in data collection, analysis, and interpretation with self-reflective prewriting exercises and self-narrative writing exercises to produce their own autoethnographic work. Chang offers a variety of techniques for gathering data on the selfâfrom diaries to culture grams to interviews with othersâand shows how to transform this information into a study that looks for the connection with others present in a diverse world. She shows how the autoethnographic process promotes self-reflection, understanding of multicultural others, qualitative inquiry, and narrative writing. Samples of published autoethnographies provide exemplars for the novice researcher to follow.
IN THE APRIL 2002 issue of Harper's Magazine, Thomas de Zengotita argued pessimistically that, six months after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, much of the American public was "over it." That is, the citizens of this country had allegedly moved on and, in the process, absorbed the events of September 11 just as they do any other major media event: by accepting them as part of the surface-level flow of information and images that comprises most, if not all, of America's contemporary social existence. This was supposedly the United State's eventual "national" response. In many respects, de Zengotita's argument is a rehash of Baudrillard's articulations of the simulacra and the depthlessness of postmodern life, even though de Zengotita never references Baudrillard or his work. The problem with that argument as both writers tend to present it is that it assumes a level of homogenization among the American public so as to efface the very differences in identities, life experiences, and material and discursive conditions that would create a wide range of responses beyond mere "absorption." Simply put, the meaning of an event like September 11th cannot be reductively divorced from the readers of the event and their attendant subjective contexts, histories, and forms of identification.
Using the anniversary coverage of Hurricane Katrina, this textual analysis explores how reporters and citizen journalists considered themselves and each other in their different versions of a specific news narrative. This research indicates that online citizen writers undermined the mainstream news story by offering an often contrary version of Hurricane Katrina. Their collective memory focused on personal experience, asserting their right to tell this societal story. By inserting themselves into the news production process of collective memory formation, these citizens renegotiated their relationships with journalists and with journalism. In some cases, this resulted in complete role reversals. The findings suggest that new patterns for information flow are being created, renovating the existing institutional power structure involving the press and society. The conclusion of this article suggests that theorists evaluate citizen journalism alongside mainstream journalists' work, for they are now part of the same news production process.
Creative writing graduate students—living in post-Katrina Louisiana and struggling for a means to aid their devastated community—ask
their peers about the stories they are telling concerning the hurricanes, how their peers construct their individual hurricane
narratives, and how the creative process/discipline bears on the material we call history. The authors frame the discussion
around Ronald Grele and Alessandro Portelli's writings on narrative. They argue that the oral history informant and the professional
storyteller are linked by certain common pursuits and practices and thereby create common byproducts as well and that these
connections offer useful insights into the study of oral history. In this essay, they work to bring the two disciplines together
and to explore possible overlaps so that we might benefit from a place of new understanding not yet imagined.
In this book I explore the ways in which texts of a certain period—the texts of psychoanalysis, of literature, and of literary theory—both speak about and speak through the profound story of traumatic experience. The chapters . . . explore the complex ways that knowing and not knowing are entangled in the language of trauma and in the stories associated with it. Each one of these texts engages, in its own specific way, a central problem of listening, of knowing, and of representing that emerges from the actual experience of the crisis.
My main endeavor is . . . to trace in each of these texts a different story, the story or the textual itinerary of insistently recurring words or figures. The key figures my analysis uncovers and highlights—the figures of "departure," "falling," "burning," or "awakening"— in their insistence, here engender stories that in fact emerge out of the rhetorical potential and the literary resonance of these figures, a literary dimension that cannot be reduced to the thematic content of the text or to what the theory encodes, and that, beyond what we know or theorize about it, stubbornly persists in bearing witness to some forgotten wound. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Democracy Online offers a set of explorations from communications studies, information science, law, philosophy, political psychology, political science, and sociology of opportunities for the Internet to revitalize democratic practice. Rejecting technological determinism of either a utopian or dystopian flavor, its perspectives embody what its editor calls an emerging school of cyberrealist thought about the variety of individual and social factors likely to shape the future of electronic democracy. Rejecting technological determinism of either a utopian or dystopian flavor, the authors illuminate a variety of individual and social factors likely to shape the future of the field. In an advance review, noted author Howard Rheingold calls the volume a deep, broad, and useful contribution to a critically important discourse about the future of our social and political institutions in an increasingly Internet-centric world. The volume includes chapters by: - Michael Froomkin, discussing the plausibility of deploying new technologies to improve democratic conversation in ways consistent with the vision of Jurgen Habermas; - Beth Noveck, reviewing the design choices faces by programmers seeking to create software to support online political deliberation; - Nancy Marder, exploring the potential future for cyberjuries; - James Bohman, discussing the potential for new public spheres of Internet-supported transnational democratic deliberation; - Peter Shane, urging cyberdemocratic activists to pursue the simultaneous revitalization of both representative and deliberative democratic elements of American governance; - Oren Perez, arguing that the Internet be used to support multidimensional decision frameworks that take account of individual and social pluralism; - Lori Weber and Sean Murray, reviewing literature on the importance of interactivity to Internet-based initiatives aimed at overcoming prevailing social inequalities; - Tamara Witschge, discussing obstacles of political psychology that may impede the capacity of online deliberation to incorporate the elements of difference and disagreement that are essential to the legitimacy of democratic conversation; - Alexandra Samuel, discussing the phenomenon of hactivism, which challenges the adequacy of deliberative democratic thinking about free speech norms and the relationship between identity and accountability; - Dan Hunter, challenging the priority attached by cyberdemocrats to democratic legitimacy in the face of evidence that our deeper political commitment lie elsewhere; - Tom Beierle, reporting on an EPA-sponsored online dialogue on the future of public participation in that agency; - Woody Stanley, Christopher Weare, and Juliet Musso, discussing a Department of Transportation online dialogue on commercial vehicle safety; - Nicholas Jankowski and Renee van Os, describing the obstacles facing effective online deliberation even in a Netherlands city possessing one of that country's most advanced community networks; - Jackie Mildner and Nancy Tate, reviewing the League of Women Voters' Democracy Net Project, and the importance of assessing online initiatives in light of the offline forms of political activism they support; - Paul Harwood and Wayne McIntosh, exploring the capacity of online networks to create a sense of belonging and community-connectedness for individual participants; - Peter Muhlberger, presenting survey data suggesting the importance of individual attitudes and resources for the success of online democratic initiatives; - Jason Barabas, discussing the apparently limited impact of unstructured online political conversation to increase public policy knowledge; and - Grant Kippen and Gordon Jenkins, analyzing the hesitancy of Canadian political parties to embrace cyberdemocratic strategies for building stronger relationships with their constituents.
We - the users turned creators and distributors of content - are TIME's Person of the Year 2006, and AdAge's Advertising Agency of the Year 2007. We form a new Generation C. We have MySpace, YouTube, and OurMedia; we run social software, and drive the development of Web 2.0. But beyond the hype, what's really going on?
In this groundbreaking exploration of our developing participatory online culture, Axel Bruns establishes the core principles which drive the rise of collaborative content creation in environments, from open source through blogs and Wikipedia to Second Life. This book shows that what's emerging here is no longer just a new form of content production, but a new process for the continuous creation and extension of knowledge and art by collaborative communities: produsage. The implications of the gradual shift from production to produsage are profound, and will affect the very core of our culture, economy, society, and democracy.
In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, many oral historians throughout the nation began to consider the role their methodology could serve in documenting the storm and its aftermath. Interviewing so soon after such a traumatic event creates new considerations for oral history as an approach to recording experience. The problems and possibilities of oral history as such a moment initiated a vibrant discussion on H-Oralhist and at professional meetings in the fall of 2005. This article reflects on many of the topics raised in that dialogue, including issues of historical distance, objectivity, reflection, and emotional trauma. The piece also offers an early review of the work of the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage at the University of Southern Mississippi to document the impact of Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi.
Polimom's 'Katrina Forums,' which featured posts that primarily served the Algiers communities, were labeled as being for 'archival / reference purposes. All interactive functionality has been disabled
- As
As of February 2006, Polimom's 'Katrina Forums,' which featured posts that primarily
served the Algiers communities, were labeled as being for 'archival / reference
purposes. All interactive functionality has been disabled.'
Voices Rising: Stories from the Katrina Narrative Project
- R Antoine
Antoine, R., ed. 2008. Voices Rising: Stories from the Katrina Narrative Project. New Orleans:
UNO Press.
Placeblogger: A New Genre of Local Communication. On the Commons
- D Bollier
Bollier, D. 2007. Placeblogger: A New Genre of Local Communication. On the Commons [blog] 4
Finding and Framing Katrina: The Social Construction of Disaster in The Sociology of Katrina
- R Dynes
- H Rodríguez
Dynes, R. & Rodríguez, H. 2007. Finding and Framing Katrina: The Social Construction of
Disaster in The Sociology of Katrina, eds. D. L. Brunsma, D. Overfelt & J. S. Picou.
The Good, the Bad, And the 'Web 2
- A Keen
- D Weinberger
Keen, A. & Weinberger, D. 2007. The Good, the Bad, And the 'Web 2.0'. The Wall Street Journal
[online] 18 July. Available at:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118461274162567845.html [Accessed 24 March 2010].
Bloggers. Pew Internet and American Life Project [online] 19 July Available at: http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports
- A Lenhart
- S Fox
Lenhart, A. & Fox, S. 2006. Bloggers. Pew Internet and American Life Project [online] 19 July.
Available at: http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2006/Bloggers.aspx [Accessed 17
The Ethics of Internet Research: A Rhetorical, Case--Based Process
- H A Mckee
- J E Porter
McKee, H.A. & Porter, J.E. 2009. The Ethics of Internet Research: A Rhetorical, Case--Based
Process. New York: Peter Lang.
THE ZOMBIE ZONE. TravelingMermaid [blog comment] 11 May Available at: http://4travelingmermaid.blogspot.com
- Marco
Marco. 2006. THE ZOMBIE ZONE. TravelingMermaid [blog comment] 11 May. Available at:
http://4travelingmermaid.blogspot.com/2006/05/zombie--zone.html [Accessed 18
A Geek Dinner in NOLA? DaisyPignetti.com [blog comment] 21 July Available at: http://www.daisypignetti.com
- Mark
Mark. 2006. A Geek Dinner in NOLA? DaisyPignetti.com [blog comment] 21 July. Available at:
http://www.daisypignetti.com/2006/07/19/a--geek--dinner--in--nola/ [Accessed 23 March
2010].
THE ZOMBIE ZONE. TravelingMermaid [blog comment] 12 May Available at: http://4travelingmermaid.blogspot.com
- Miyankee
miyankee. 2006. THE ZOMBIE ZONE. TravelingMermaid [blog comment] 12 May. Available at:
http://4travelingmermaid.blogspot.com/2006/05/zombie--zone.html [Accessed 18
Unreliable Truth: On Memoir and Memory
- M Murdock
Murdock, M. 2003. Unreliable Truth: On Memoir and Memory. New York: Seal.
NOLA blogger research project [Email]. Message to The NOLA Bloggers (bloggers@thinknola.com AND BlogNOLA@yahoogroups.com) Sent Wednesday Available at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group
- D Pignetti
Pignetti, D., phdaisy@gmail.com. 2007. NOLA blogger research project [Email]. Message to The
NOLA Bloggers (bloggers@thinknola.com AND BlogNOLA@yahoogroups.com). Sent
Wednesday 7 February 2007, 12:40 PM. Available at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BlogNOLA/message/809 [Accessed 19 September
2011].
An Open Letter to Katrina. TravelingMermaid [blog comment] 3 February Available at: http://4travelingmermaid.blogspot.com
Dangle 24--7. 2006a. An Open Letter to Katrina. TravelingMermaid [blog comment] 3 February.
Available at: http://4travelingmermaid.blogspot.com/2005/12/open--letter--to-katrina.html [Accessed 18 September 2011].
Katrina Archives. Polimom Says... [blog] 2 February Available at
- Polimom
Polimom. 2006. Katrina Archives. Polimom Says... [blog] 2 February. Available at:
http://www.polimom.com/katrina/ [Accessed March 24, 2010].
Networking through Disaster. Local Knowledge [online] Available at: http://localknowledge.mercatus.org/highlights/networking--through--disaster
- M Politzer
Politzer, M. 2009. Networking through Disaster. Local Knowledge [online]. Available at:
http://localknowledge.mercatus.org/highlights/networking--through--disaster/ [Accessed
18 September 2011].
The State of Blogging. Pew Internet and American Life Project
- L Rainie
Rainie, L. 2005. The State of Blogging. Pew Internet and American Life Project [online] 2 January.
The-‐State-‐of-‐Blogging.aspx
- Available
Available at: http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2005/The-‐State-‐of-‐Blogging.aspx
[Accessed 17 September 2011].
Rising Tide [online] Available at: http://risingtidenola.com
- Rising N Tide
Rising Tide. N.d. Rising Tide [online]. Available at: http://risingtidenola.com. [Accessed 17
THE ZOMBIE ZONE. TravelingMermaid [blog comment] 13 May Available at: http://4travelingmermaid.blogspot.com
- Sophmom
Sophmom. 2006. THE ZOMBIE ZONE. TravelingMermaid [blog comment] 13 May. Available at:
http://4travelingmermaid.blogspot.com/2006/05/zombie--zone.html [Accessed 18
Voices from the Storm: The People of New Orleans on Hurricane Katrina and Its Aftermath
- L Vollen
- C Ying
Vollen, L. & Ying, C., eds. 2006. Voices from the Storm: The People of New Orleans on Hurricane
Katrina and Its Aftermath. San Francisco: McSweeney's.
The Katrina Papers: A Journal of Trauma and Recovery
- Jr Ward
Ward, Jr., J.W. 2008. The Katrina Papers: A Journal of Trauma and Recovery. New Orleans: UNO
Press.
A Geek Dinner in NOLA? DaisyPignetti.com [blog] 19 July Available at: http://www.daisypignetti.com
- D Pignetti
Pignetti, D. 2006. A Geek Dinner in NOLA? DaisyPignetti.com [blog] 19 July. Available at:
http://www.daisypignetti.com/2006/07/19/a--geek--dinner--in--nola/ [Accessed 23 March
2010].
Pew Internet and American Life Project [online] 22 July Available at: http://www.pewinternet.org/Commentary
- A Smith
Smith, A. 2008. Pew Internet and American Life Project [online] 22 July. Available at:
http://www.pewinternet.org/Commentary/2008/July/New--numbers--for--blogging--and-blog--readership.aspx [Accessed 17 September 2011].
- Available
Available at: http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2005/The--State--of--Blogging.aspx
[Accessed 17 September 2011].
A Geek Dinner in NOLA? DaisyPignetti.com [blog] 19 July Available at: http://www.daisypignetti.com
- Nola Think
Think NOLA. 2006. A Geek Dinner in NOLA? DaisyPignetti.com [blog] 19 July. Available at:
http://www.daisypignetti.com/2006/07/19/a--geek--dinner--in--nola/ [Accessed 23 March
2010].
- Polimom