Hungary – as seen from an outside blogger
While reading about Hungary and its blogosphere at Global Voices Online, I was struck by three things. 1. There were not that many posts; 2. The posts were more concerned with the world around Hungary; 3. The posts were in English.
Now, those aren’t earth shattering realizations, but they do showcase – to me at least – how different the online world can be outside of the US or a major economy. As I stated above, there weren’t that many posts – I find this rather strange considering how prevalent and easy blogging is in the US. It also made me think back to my time abroad when I first learned that people outside the US did not have the same feelings towards the internet. It was 2002, and I was spending a semester abroad in France. Computers and the World Wide Web were all the rage on college campuses, and very few students didn’t have a computer – or at least access to one. But in France, internet cafes were where most French people accessed the internet, and if a family did have a computer, dial-up was the chosen method of connection. So it really shouldn’t surprise me that a country with an economy, population and history such as Hungary does not have a lot of bloggers in 2009. Perhaps they are behind the times a bit, but more likely it’s because the technology and financing needed to support such an online movement just doesn’t exist. And if it does exist, perhaps its not easily accessible by all Hungarians.
While the internet and blogging may not be “the norm” for Hungarians, I found it intriguing that those who were blogging were blogging about the many events, peoples and issues dealt with outside of Hungary that had a possible affect on those living in Hungary. One blogger was excited about President Obama’s EU visit, even though he (Obama) had been less than enthusiastic about the state of Hungary, and another blogger wrote about the economic situation in South Korea, Brunei, Egypt and the US and how it all related back to Hungary. Pretty heavy stuff.
Lastly, most of the posts were written in English. I found this interesting because it shows how universal blogging is, yet how uniquely American it can be. I would never expect a blogger in Hungary to write in English, as most Hungarians speak Hungarian, but perhaps blogging in English gives their blog a better chance at becoming “famous.” I really don’t know the answer to it, but it is something to ponder as I delve into the world of blogging beyond the United States.
Sassing Me 