More than most automakers, General Motors has been in the forefront with bloggers and the social media. Several years back, when other auto companies seemed only dimly aware of the bloggers and amateur journalists, GM was expanding its invitation lists to events, to welcome at least some of them into the automotive media fold.
Their views were taken seriously, too. So, it wasn’t entirely a surprise when word got out in 2009, when Saturn was on the ropes, that GM was considering producing an offshoot of Saturn’s Vue, to be badged as a Buick. Well, evidently some bloggers disagreed with giving that compact SUV to Buick. Before long, the prospective model was dropped.
Did bloggers make the decision for GM? Of course not. The situation hasn’t reached that point of absurdity - at least, not yet. But it seems obvious that their negative views played a significant role in killing that model.
Honda also faced opposition from bloggers in 2009, when the first photos of the new Crosstour wagon were revealed. Many of them didn’t like it, and in typical blogger fashion, had no hesitation about saying so - often in a venomous, snarky manner. Honda didn’t drop the Crosstour, of course; but they did spend a lot of time and effort responding to the negative assaults, which to some extent were due to the particular photo that had been seen. Evidently, it did not show the Crosstour in the best possible light.
Traditional journalists had to wonder why the snide, unartfully presented opinions of bloggers were carrying so much weight - often, more than the carefully considered views of veteran media people.
Just about everybody seems to be blogging these days - if they have any spare moments left after tweeting, friending, Linking In, and updating their MySpace profiles.
Naturally, plenty of bloggers perform a valuable - even vital - function. Those who reside or work in trouble-spots around the world, or in the midst of difficult and newsworthy situations, can provide on-the-spot reports and observations that would otherwise be totally unavailable. Bloggers who happen to be in places where wars, devastation, or other calamities are taking place day and night provide invaluable service by making up-to-the-minute information about what’s happening available to anyone, worldwide, with an Internet connection.
So, too, can persons with specialized knowledge or connections, or unique experiences of some sort, convey what they’ve seen and learned to countless millions of potential readers. Just as some tweets have a valid point that can be stated in few words, some blogs are unquestionably purposeful.
Accuracy and objectivity are another matter. To traditional journalists, those attributes are (or most emphatically should be) second nature. To bloggers, they’re often second priority, if not lower on the scale.
No report on an event, a movement, a product, a person is either completely or indisputably accurate. That’s right, none. Short of securing a time machine - and the time to use it - there’s rarely a way to be 100-percent positive about much of anything. Expert researchers, however, have learned to make the best possible judgments of the veracity and thoroughness of materials they encounter, and people with whom they speak. Can some random person who contributes to a personal, unedited blog or a Wiki be assumed to do likewise? Or to be capable of making such judgments, even if they prefer to do so?
Professionals know this is how the world works, and develop ways to come as close to the truth as possible. Amateurs are far less likely, but instead may well make judgments based on insufficient, incorrect, or outmoded data, then present their analyses as truth.
Worse yet, of course, are the bloggers who revel in rumors and untruths, eager only to have their shrieking, snarky comments noticed by as many readers as possible. If a hefty share of those readers come away believing the nonsense that’s found its way over the Internet, that breed of blogger couldn’t care less. He or she is successful at drawing attention - and in this world where some rumor mills can draw millions of viewers in a matter of days, if not hours, those numbers are what matter.
Andrew Keen took the term “Cult of the Amateur” as the title of his 2007 book on this phenomenon. Since its publication, the bloggers have run more rampant yet, even claiming to have an impact on local and national elections. To a growing degree, amateurs are brushing aside long-established professionals in the race to get their opinions noticed.
In the automotive field, like various other endeavors, experts and experienced authorities are being replaced by fans and enthusiasts, whose blurtings all too often are given the same weight as those that were considered carefully and honed neatly by traditional journalists and authors. Automakers are taking them seriously, too, extending favored treatment comparable to that received by pros of the past.
What other occupations or profession has ever been taken over by amateurs? Will we soon be going to amateur dentists and consulting unschooled attorneys, or engaging in do-it-yourself surgery? Not likely. But few seem troubled by the fact that utterly, blatantly biased bloggers are taken so seriously, while journalist with years of experience are losing their jobs, their outlets, their livelihoods. Readers, then, are treated to opinions backed up by murky haze and venomous invective rather than thoughtful, carefully-considered evaluations and serious-minded observations.
Sure, serious folks have blogs and Twitter postings might well be accurate and valuable. Still, they’re grossly outnumbered by uninformed dolts who scream electronic assaults and accusations based upon narrow-minded, feeble and futile attempt at squeezing something resembling thought out of a commonplace, often hateful mind.
No, the problems come from the vast majority, who believe their opinions - even if based on nothing substantive whatsoever - are not only worthy, but demand to be disseminated to the world. Millions who lead tiresome, mundane lives manage to type out (accompanied by easy-to-use graphics and video) tedious accounts of their everyday activities, thoughts, expectations, and aspirations, often accompanied by cruel rants directed at real or imagined enemies. As if anyone cares, or should care.
Tirekicking Today will have a lot more to say on amateurism, blogs, Tweets and such, but for now we’ll give the final word to Thomas Gray, “Where ignorance is bliss,” Gray wrote, “‘tis folly to be wise.”
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