Blogging in the English-speaking, Caribbean
Blogging shows another face of the Caribbean that you don’t see in the travel guides. Caribbean bloggers attempt to strip the layers of stereotypes of sun, sea, and sand that abound. We write about our way of life and the real issues that affect us. We let people know that contrary to outside opinion, the beach isn’t a five-minute walk from most people’s houses, and we don’t ‘lime’ (local slang for hanging out) on the beach everyday, although we’d love to.
Blogs – channelling Caribbean expression
In an abstract written for the Caribbean Studies Association’s 2006 conference roundtable on blogging in the Caribbean, Trinidadian blogger, Nicholas Laughlin – who has been blogging for four years – states:
“In the virtual world of the Internet, size and distance ought not to matter. People in small, far-flung, obscure corners of the world can, in theory, create a presence as big as anyone else’s. But in practice, the slow acceptance and partial understanding in much of the Caribbean of what the Internet can be used for means that, online, Caribbean culture and ideas don’t have a presence proportionate to our vitality and originality; and on the World Wide Web, ‘Caribbean’ continues to be defined by outsiders – a simple Google search turns up ample evidence.
But blogging, by its very nature – its immediacy, its flexibility, its ease of access even to those with limited technical knowledge – offers the possibility for ordinary Caribbean people to tell their own stories and debate their own definitions. From Derek Walcott to Lloyd Best, our thinkers have long argued the imperative for Caribbean people to understand themselves on their own terms, in their own language, in their own context. The blogosphere is an opportunity for us both to engage in a boundaryless regional conversation and to talk back to the world, asserting our identity and independence.”
Another Trinidadian blogger, Taran Rampersad highlighted the fact that not many Caribbean weblogs use the technorati tag – Caribbean. Therefore, people don’t allows find the truly Caribbean blogs. Instead, they consume whatever stereotypical literature exists about the Caribbean. Rampersad argues that “if the blogosphere starts demonstrating that there is a Caribbean, and if the Caribbean is self-defined instead of defined by some… editors… well, then you have something to work with”.
Demographics of the Caribbean blogosphere
Nationals living in the Caribbean, as well as those who live abroad, contribute to the blog landscape. However, bloggers are definitely not in the majority in their various countries. Bloggers hail from countries such as
Do journalists write blogs? A few do. Perhaps, those who don’t (the majority) are disinterested in blogging, don’t know of blogging or are afraid to use a blog and attract the ire of their employers. As Taran Rampersad says:
“These are small island-nations: You can’t just go out and find another job in another state. There is safety in not rocking the boat.”
According to Trinidadian blogger, Nicholas Laughlin, who is also the Editor of the magazine – Caribbean Beat:
“There’s no equivalent in the Caribbean blogosphere of the political bloggers who are the public face of the medium in the US… There are Caribbean bloggers who comment on public affairs, but no one for whom political blogging is a raison d’etre.”
Laughlin and Popplewell also note that for many Caribbean bloggers, blogs are really journals that give insight to their personal experiences. Sharing personal information, especially over the Internet, is not necessarily a Caribbean thing to do. But with elements of new media such as blogging and hi5 (which has been widely embraced by Trinbagonian young people), Internet-using people are becoming more open about identifying themselves online. Last words and future posts For attention span purposes, and not seeking to write too long a post, I’ll write some more about blogging in the Caribbean, and how it impacts on public relations, in another post. References
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Some people don’t take for granted the power of the internet and the tools available to them which they can use to be heard. Especially those in the Caribbean and small islands. All tourists see is what’s shown to them in fancy travel brochures. If more islanders took up blogging in a way Nicholas has, it would benefit everyone. -Adam
Clearly, blogging is a useful medium of expression for Caribbean voices. It also signals people’s growing interest in technology, even though those interested in technology may be in the minority. Caribbean blogs provide a glimpse into the real lives of Caribbean people, as they become more comfortable with exposing themselves via new media. These blogs, bit by bit, strip the stereotypes that we frequently sip on coconuts while basking in the hot sun, dipping our toes in the sand, and strolling along the beach.
- Laughlin, N. (June 2006) Global Voices, Caribbean Accents: report on Caribbean blogging roundtable. Available from http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/2006/06/06/global-voices-caribbean-accents-report-on-caribbean-blogging-roundtable/ [Accessed October 28, 2006].
- Laughlin, N (May 2006) No title. Nicholas Laughlin’s blog etc. Available from http://nicholaslaughlin.blogspot.com/2006/05/in-virtual-world-of-internet-size-and.html [Accessed October 28, 2006].
- Philp, G (May 2006) Liming in Cyberspace. Geoffrey Philp’s Blog. Available from http://geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com/2006/05/liming-in-cyberspace.html [Accessed October 28, 2005].
- Popplewell, G (October 2005) The Caribbean Blogosphere: Some Observations. Available at http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/2005/10/28/the-caribbean-blogosphere-some-observations/ [Accessed October 28, 2006].
- Rampersad, T (January 2006) Creating the CyberCaribbean: The Caribbean Technorati Tag. Available from http://www.knowprose.com/node/10710 [Accessed October 28, 2006].
- Rampersad, T (July 2005) Caribbean blog list. Available from http://www.knowprose.com/caribbeanbloglist [Accessed October 28, 2006].
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Who said Google Alerts don’t come in handy?
Great summary. And yet, I find that I must add something here…
I’m more of a technology/culture blogger. At times, I interject things related to the Caribbean, CARICOM, Trinidad and Tobago… but the truth is that the region is very slow along the lines of technoculture (reference: Cardicis.org - I was there both times), and to depend on things to write about within the region along these lines can be disappointing. So I don’t.
Perhaps another way to look at the Caribbean blogosphere, in the spirit of being circumspect, is to move beyond the geographic location as the focus and instead look at what is being written of *from* the location. That the Caribbean is engaging in things beyond the Caribbean through the blogosphere seems much more worthwhile in that perspective; that Caribbean bloggers are voicing on global issues instead of focusing on the regional issues alone.
The blogosphere fills the gaps of media. Looking at the blogosphere should be looked upon as viewing where the gaps are as well.