How blog? Why blog?

I've been thinking a lot about how blogging works, the openness of blogging and the impact a blog can make on the outside world, but today I started thinking about the question of why blog?  Where does the motivation to blog come from?

("Why on car" by openpad is licensed under CC BY 2.0)

Wee-Kek and Hock-Hai (2009) present an interesting theory that bloggers are motivated by the need to use the online space as a vehicle for the expression of self and extension of real-life identity into an online space.  So from the perspective of Blooms Taxonomy and Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs blogging allows learners to operate on the highest levels of both.  And yes, I suppose my blog does reflect one aspect of who I am.  It does reflect my work and the things I am passionate about.

I think what interested me most about the work of Wee-kek and Hock-Hai was the fact that their work was based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour.  So I started to read more.  

The Theory of Planned Behaviour starts with Attitudes.  If we examine our own attitudes towards something then those attitudes will feed into our intentions.  For example, if we want to buy a mobile phone and a particular brand or model appeals to us then our intention to buy one increases.  It struck me that this is true in education too.  If our attitude towards a subject is positive or we are intrinsically interested in a subject then we are more likely to study it.  


Next comes Subjective Norms.  Are we likely to adjust our intentions in light of wider social and cultural norms?  Thinking back to that mobile phone - if our friends have the same model or brand and they tell us its great, then again our intention to buy increases.  Again there are parallels in education.  If your colleagues recommend a particular training course that you're interested in (they've already studied it and learned a lot from it) then your intention to study would increase.

Then finally there is perceived behavioural control.  Would we adjust our intentions if we thought we didn't have the skills or qualities to be able to control the object of our intentions?  Again, thinking back to the mobile phone, if we reckon the handset is too complex to use and we think we can't use it successfully then again our intention to buy change.  Educational equivalents might be if you're interested in a course and you think its achievable and you have sufficient support then again your intention to study increases.

Apparently this theory is applied commonly in marketing.  But can it be applied to education?  Does its relevance to blogging specifically mean it can be applied to open education?  

The theory states that all three factors together influence our intentions.  But what if there was a fourth?  Bordieu (N.D., as cited by Claridge, 2014) might suggest that education is a form of social capital.  Therefore, if we are taking a perspective on motivation based on identity, would your intentions to study a course translate into actual enrolling in a course if you thought that it would increase your social capital?  

("Payoff Key" by Got Credit is licensed under CC BY 2.0)

OK, now back to my blog.  I don't know if any subjective norms influenced my decision to start blogging.  My main motivation was to use it as a platform to refine my thinking and connect with others in learning conversations.  But right there is an attempt to increase my social capital.   In my previous posts I discussed how Granovetter's theory of the strength of weak ties demonstrates that openness increases the potential for learning.  

So, I'm interested in what motivated you to blog?  How did your attitudes, social norms and perceived behaviour control impact your motivation to blog? Are there any more experienced bloggers out there?  Please share your thoughts in the comments below.  

You can also follow me on twitter.
@McintoshMclean

References

Claridge, T. (2014)  Bordieu on social capital - theory of capital [Online].  Available at:  https://www.socialcapitalresearch.com/bourdieu-on-social-capital-theory-of-capital/amp/ (Accessed 9th December 2020).

Wee-Kek, T. and Hock-Hai, T. (2009)  Blogging to express self and social identities, anyone? [Online].  Available at:  https://www.researchgate.net/publication/221407960_Blogging_to_express_self_and_social_identities_any_one  (Accessed 9th December 2009).  





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