Alberta Blogs

Blog The Vote: Can Alberta’s Bloggers Affect The Electoral Process?

As with the last federal election, many political analysts are asking how the new media are affecting the electoral process in Canada and beyond. And now, with Alberta nearing its election day, many people are interested in how bloggers in this province are affecting political discourse. In this blog entry, I will discuss some pertinent data and trends that may assist bloggers in swaying votes, whichever way they desire.

Alberta Blogs is a distinctly non-partisan group of bloggers, but that isn’t to say many of our blogs aren’t political. We are a union of bloggers , formed of free association, who are simply proud to be Albertan, whatever our political stripe may be. This blogroll exists because political and non-political bloggers recognize the importance of diversity in an association. That said, as proud Albertans, each one of us has a vision or hope for our province’s future, and many of us have the means, ability and desire to lead others in the direction of a better future. Whether you are a party member or you simply don’t vote - by all means, use your blog in this election as a platform for your views.

Did you know that people in Canada read blogs in order to find more diverse views on current events? People read blogs because they have a nagging suspicion that the mainstream media isn’t “telling it like it is”. This is not a simple assertion, but is based on empirical evidence. In 2005, I carried out Canada’s first known survey of bloggers, entitled The Great Canadian Blog Survey. Because the survey originated here in Alberta, our province was over-represented in the sample. In total, I gathered over 1,000 responses, and the numbers were good enough for me to be granted a Master’s degree from the University of Alberta for my study of bloggers. Thus, I can speak to the issue of blogging in Alberta from an empirical perspective.

Take a look at the following graph (click to enlarge). It comes from the survey. What does it tell you, as a blogger?

People read blogs because they want to stay informed. They are coming to you, the writer, for something they can’t find elsewhere, such as mainstream media. This fact alone says that blog readers are the type of people who want to base their views on a broad range of perspectives. Moreover, they are coming to you, the writer, because they sense something amiss with the status quo.

Politically, the Great Canadian Blog Survey found an elevated readership for Conservative, Liberal and Western Separatist voters. Also, the Green Party received the highest proportional support from readers in Alberta, which suggests that Green voters are using the technology to make theor voices heard.

In terms of age, blog readers are likely to be older and have higher incomes than blog writers. If you think about it, an older person who has a career, family and other time constraints has less time to research and digest information. A student, on the other hand, has the time and the ability to process information, either as part of a class project, or out of personal interest. This also speaks to a generational divide in terms of technology - it’s easier for younger people (under 30) to adapt to the technology and make their views heard.

Because bloggers are well-informed when it comes to political happenings, it stands to reason that their political sentiments will mirror those of the general population. The Great Canadian Blog Survey asked respondents to indicate which party they would vote for, and the results were surprisingly close to those of the federal election.

These simple facts tell me that blog readers are slightly older and have a need for a broader range of views than can be found in the mainstream media. This suggests your readers are coming to you, expecting something different from what they read elsewhere. So, as bloggers, we must ask ourselves how, in terms of perspective and ideas, we are offering something different in comparison to more established media in this province.

In many ways, Alberta’s blogosphere is an example of the older generation listening to the youth, seeking fresh ideas and perspectives. Go ahead and speak. Make your voice heard. They are listening to you.

- Aaron Braaten, M.A.