Thesis
Introduction
In the summer of 2005 I wrote a minor dissertation for my Master’s in which I tried to put a new spin on that old chestnut, blogging versus journalism. The thesis — Blogosphere of influence: Are weblogs enriching journalism in the new media environment? — was a lot of work, particularly since this is a field in which (at the time of writing at least) there was not much in the way of scholarly research available. But I had a lot of fun doing it.
Though an academic project, it was written with the intention of accessibility to anyone with even a passing interest in the subject, or in the general evolution of the media in this fast-changing world. With that in mind, I invite you to read it for yourself and make up your own mind.
Download
You can download the PDFs from here: Preface (66 KB); Main Text (835 KB). (Spelling and grammatical errors and omissions are included free of charge.)
WikiThesis
I’ve begun uploading the text of the dissertation, chapter by chapter, to a wiki, which I have imaginatively called the WikiThesis. I have no real reason for doing this, other than Markham suggested it. But in the future, with the participation of readers, it might evolve into a better work beyond what it is.
Appendix
Since submitting my thesis, so much has changed in the modern media sphere as to render my work virtually obsolete. In an effort to keep the work alive, so to speak, I will soon be posting a collection of links and notes that I have amassed since last summer to support, contextualise or follow up on the ideas discussed within the dissertation. Watch this space.
About
This is the personal website of MacDara Conroy, a twenty-something journalist, editor and all-round creative type living in Dublin, Ireland.
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