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Abstract
February 2008, Vol. 55, No. 1, Pages 139–160 , DOI 10.1525/sp.2008.55.1.139
Posted online on February 8, 2008.
(doi:10.1525/sp.2008.55.1.139)

The e-Rise and Fall of Social Problems: The Blogosphere as a Public Arena

Ray Maratea
University of Delaware



Social problems theory has yet to fully address the impact that new communication technologies are having on the claims-making process. This article examines the emergence of the blogosphere as a cultural phenomenon that provides claims-makers with a powerful new public arena to advance social problem claims. Using Stephen Hilgartner and Charles Bosk's (1988) public arenas model of social problem construction, blog-generated problem claims are examined to analyze how Internet driven social problems compete for public attention. Findings suggest that blogs make the claims-making process more efficient, offer expanded carrying capacity compared to traditional arenas, and provide outsider claims-makers with greater opportunity to have a voice in social problems construction. Still, only a small number of blogs have become recognized as claims-making arenas; they still rely on traditional principles of selection; and bloggers face the same competition for mainstream media attention as claims-makers using traditional arenas.

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Author:
Ray Maratea
Keywords:
blog
blogosphere
Internet
new media
public arena