Blogs as personal therapy.

I am interested in the social element of Blogs. I remember Luke Goode mentioning the fact that blogs allow a certain sense of release. As in people can let out issues that have been bothering them and let others help with certain issues.

Recently i read a blog about an individual and his childhood. Now i am reluctant to copy and paste it. But i feel that i should in order to support my argument that blogs are a good sanction for therapy. Now before i post up this blog ill add in some background. This individual is a very nice person online and has never treated anyone badly. Some people call him a stalker because of his strange behavior. He sends people private messages asking if they want to go out for a drink. It is quite strange because it is the internet after all.

He also has got a strange liking for his garden. But quite often people forget about his past. So this was actually the second submission he made in order to reaffirm with people as to why he acts like this. So here goes his post by "MR":

Click here to read the post. [Note from Luke: With Matt's agreement I have swapped the text for a link because I didn't think it was appropriate for the front page of our blog. This way, people have a choice about whether they want to read something pretty unpleasant which involves the abuse of a child.]

So that is what he shared. I know its quite disturbing. But my point is that blogs have become a new kind of social therapy for people. A way for individuals to get things off there backs and share it with the World Wide Web. It also ensures that others in the same situation can also contact this individual and share thoughts and ideas. Because it is extremely difficult to have contact with the outside world if individuals are unstable. Blogs are beneficial in this sense no doubt. They are a tool used for the people on the benefit to explain why they are. Quite often a notion is built around people on the benefit as greedy and freeloaders. But lately i have been seeing the use of blog entry's to spread a better understanding as to why they are on the dole.

Blog's are a social sanction for many. They are however so diverse and used in so many different ways. My argument is of only one way that online blogs are used. But with the rise of depression and issues of sexual and brutal child abuse in New Zealand i am really suprised that the mental health organizations have not come forward into the future and started a website blog for these types of situations and problems.

I think the next step for the adverts about depression and mental disorders should be a campaign for a national blog for depression and violence in such nature. I can see big things with placing advertisements with a website dedicated to this issue, where people can share thoughts and feelings about abuse.

Quite often the blog is under estimated as just another form of internet gibberish. But i can visualize huge things with blogs in New Zealand.

With the issues we have at the moment. I think blogs should be brought forward by the government in order to target cases of abuse. I mean the hospital staff members are now asking women some sensitive issues. Why not also point them to the direction of a blog. So everyone can share and help each other out.

Ultimately using the internet as a social tool has revolutionized the way we communicate. It may extend our social awareness. But also amputates (Howard Reingold) that physical presence and help that most people need. In order for change we need to find alternatives to New Zealand's rather weak ways of communication.

(For subject i have used, could you please keep it within the Technoculture blog for reasons of respect. Thankyou)