Teātra blogi Latvijā: satura iezīmes

Abstract

With changes in the media environment, theatre critics are not only responsible for communicating with theatre visitors, but also any individual who decides to publish in the media, whether it is a professional media or a self-created platform – blog. The aim of the research of the article “Theatre blogs in Latvia: content features” is to find out what are the most characteristic features of the content and the most frequently used functions of theatre criticism in the most active theatre blogs in Latvia. Qualitative and quantitative content analysis was used to analyse the content of the five most active theatre blogs in Latvia in the period from 2018 to 2019. The study found that the content of all five blogs correspond to descriptive material about the content of the performance, actors, and scenography and are supplemented by the author’s personal assessment, which is mainly highly emotional. Among the most frequently used functions of theatre criticism in blogs are documentation, evaluation, interpretation, sharing experiences, commenting, and motivating readers to attend the show. It was concluded that the theatre criticism appearance into the contentof blogs provides a new form of reviews, providing both benefits and risks to the criticism. More attention should be paid to the arrangement and development of blog culture in Latvia and the use of the advantages of digital platforms for both professionals and bloggers to improve their material and attract an audience.