A brave, new e-landscape

In the past two years, Greek blogs have blossomed, initially amid ignorance and technical illiteracy. Then came excessive expectations and praise, followed by suspicion and confusion. The misunderstandings stem mainly from shortcomings and delays in the telecommunications infrastructure and online culture. Blogging sprang up in Greece along with the first broadband connections, and was nurtured by people who were already more or less familiar with online communication platforms (such as chatrooms and Net user groups) or who had experience in written communication. Any lingering misunderstandings are due to the lack of a culture of public discourse. Even pseudonymous bloggers must act responsibly, and adhere to powerful unwritten rules of communication. This is not just an enlarged private sphere, for which there are sites like Facebook. Whatever the misunderstandings and shortcomings, however, thanks to blogs, the political communication scene is no longer the same.