The Way Blogging Disappeared from Bangladesh

10-15 years ago, community blogging sites were the most popular medium for writing in Bangladesh. Some of these websites come out on top in terms of a number of viewers. But once there was so much fuss about the blog is no longer seen.

Experts say the reason for this is the controversy over blogging, the killings of bloggers, the lack of justice in those cases and the government's surveillance of free speech, creating a kind of panic surrounding this medium of writing.

Among them, information technology change is also being considered as another big reason. The number of people currently active in community blogging platforms in Bangladesh is staggering.

The journey of the Bengali language blog in Bangladesh started in 2005 through "Somewhere in Blog". The number of registered bloggers has crossed one and a half lakh in seven years.

Besides, at least 10 thousand bloggers used to write there regularly. The blog-site Sachalayatan, which was formed with selected writers, was also in the discussion. Those blogs were not limited to writing stories, poems and literature just for fun.

Rather, it was dominated by contemporary political issues, history and various other issues. However, this once popular medium of writing seems to have suddenly disappeared.

The reason for this is the blogger of Sachalayatan. Nazrul said, “Blogging in Bangladesh is seen in a very negative light at one stage. One group called bloggers atheists. Many bloggers were then forced to leave the country in the face of threats. All in all, no one wants to write on a blog anymore. ”

With the development of information technology, the popularity of blogging has declined not only in Bangladesh but also globally, said information technologist Zakaria Swapan.

According to him, Facebook and Twitter have now taken the place of blogs. As Facebook is the most popular means of communication in Bangladesh, most of the writers are writing on notes if they do not have the status of Facebook.

While most of the writing on Facebook is worse than blogs, it has the potential to reach thousands of people faster. Readers can also share their feedback on Facebook immediately.

Similarly, the risk of registering and editing like a blog is not on Facebook, which is a big reason to move away from this blogging. Dream. "People want their writing to reach more people," he said. Facebook is a much more acceptable medium than blogs. Well-known authors write on prestigious blogs abroad. The blog that ordinary people used to have is no more.''

Moreover, in the face of controversy over blogging in Bangladesh, several blog sites were shut down. He said that the blog could not return to its previous form due to that obstacle.

Blogging became most popular in Bangladesh during the Shahbagh movement demanding the execution of war criminals.

At that time, it was written for or against a particular party, and some also wrote about ways to overcome the political crisis.

In a word, the writers also chose the blog as a platform to practice freedom of speech at that time. At the time, a controversy erupted over the death of a blogger involved in the movement.

Islamist groups allege that some of those involved in the movement have made offensive comments on various blogs about religion.

Kaberi Gain, a professor at the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism at Dhaka University, said the killing of several bloggers in the face of such controversy over blogging has narrowed the space for the government's subsequent crackdown on writing.

He said, “After the killing of one blogger after another, no drastic action was taken by the state. The case was not settled.

That's why bloggers left the country under threat. Then the government monitored blogging and there was no place for people to write freely.

The Bengali language blog was launched in December 2005 with the aim of spreading the practice of the Bengali language online worldwide and informing the younger generation about the true history of Bangladesh.

With this event in mind, bloggers have been celebrating this day as Bangla Blog Day every year since December 19, 2009.

Source: BBC Bangla