Blogs attract younger tech-savvy generations

According to an article in the New York Times, industries throughout the western world are being reshaped by the growing popularity of blogs and by the increasing influence of young, tech-savvy bloggers. For example, “Dirrty Glam” has become a hugely successful online fashion magazine and blog and has taken the biggest media names in the fashion world by surprise. But what’s most surprising is that this trendy sartorial publication’s writers and bloggers are all just 19 to 22 years of age, and thanks to their use of blogging technology, they seem perfectly capable of giving the much older, established names in fashion media a good run for their money.

Why are bloggers so successful in competing against the largest media giants? The answer is relatively simple. The beauty of the internet is that major search engines—such as Google—level the playing field between the largest and the smallest publications. When you visit Google News and type in a key phrase, articles from the Los Angeles Times or a giant like The Guardian will appear right next to entries and news pieces from upstart, but increasingly popular blogs, like America’s Susie Bubble or London’s Cherry Blossom Girl. Google does not discriminate when it comes to larger and smaller publications; the article with the highest ranking and best searchability will simply be the one with the most effective set of keywords and highest search engine optimization.

The world’s largest publications admit that they have little choice but to adapt to this new media reality, as the editor of a prominent French publication, L’Express, pointed out. But Géraldine Dormoy, the paper’s fashion editor, is hardly afraid of competition from the blogosphere. After all, 30 year old Dormoy was once a successful blogger herself, who caught the attention of a media giant and landed a top position at the head of a major flagship newspaper.