BLOGS IN A CHANGING SOCIAL MEDIA ENVIRONMENT: PERSPECTIVES ON THE FUTURE OF BLOGGING IN SCANDINAVIA

In this paper, we investigate the change in the online landscape of blogging in the Scandinavian context through a mixed methods approach. The literature on blogs has emphasized the necessity of learning about why and how people blog as it can help us understand how information is created and shared online (Chau & Xu, 2012). Despite the rich literature on blogs, few studies have addressed the change in the landscape and in the paths of blogger participation. To gain a broader view on the perceptions of the future of blogging, we draw on findings from a focus group interview and in-depth one-on-one interviews with longterm bloggers as well as a blog reader survey. By organizing our findings with Schmidt’s (2007) analytical framework, our research furthers knowledge on how the changes in external expectations such as commercial entities and blog communities affect the rules and relations of bloggers. We argue that the growth and shifting landscape of blogging as core type of technology-mediated social participation system carries the potential to dramatically change the practice of online personal sharing and online communities of practice among bloggers