Unless you are stuck in China without Internet access, you probably know about the mighty aftershocks from this article reverberating through the blogging world.
What a crazy, interesting phenomenon the blogging world has become...so vast, yet so small. It's like the blogging world is one giant set of connected dominoes and when something sets it off.....the rippling cascade affects one after another after another.
So here I am....a little bitty domino in the big line-up, making my own contribution to the pattern. Since the said blog post was published, I have been thinking a lot about this whole blogging issue...
Lots of people have joined the conversation about why Mormon women are such prolific blog writers, and why Mormons AND Non-Mormons read them. And why it strikes such a nerve when those WHYs are analyzed.
Holy smokes...did IT strike a nerve!
So I want to add my five-bits, in true Ms. Fish fashion, about why I think people, including myself, blog. (I'm not going to explore why MORMONS, in particular, create blogs. That has been covered most excellently here and here.)
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1. The need to write and read blogs is basic: it simply satisfies a primal and universal human need to feel connected, loved, accepted, heard, understood. In the 21st century way.
Blogging is our virtual front porch.
The Porch. Where neighbors gathered in the evening, rocking and sipping iced-tea, and solved the problems of little Johnny. Now our porches sit...deserted and dark, the rocking chair dusty in the wake of soccer games, piano lessons, and corporate dinners. But the problems of little Johnny still need to be solved.
2. Blogging provides a creative avenue for expression. Humans are naturally creative beings. This sets us apart from animals. We desire to draw, paint, dance, take pictures, design, and craft homemade beauty. Writing and/or posting about the latest craft or recipe that I made satisfies an innate creative yearning. Writing and/or crafting is an art form of self-expression, no different than singing or acting. But all of those things require an audience. A performance without an audience is a rehearsal. A rehearsal is a preparatory act... the means to an end, not the end. A great performance or great poetry requires great audiences. Art without an audience is only half finished. So we blog in the hopes that someone, somewhere will read it. And relish our art.
Blogging is our stage.
3. Blogging feeds the tiny [or not so tiny] narcissistic spark in each of us (true...some have gently glowing embers...others are fanning narcissistic flames the size of Florida). Dr. Drew wrote an interesting book in which he proposes that vanity, exhibitionism, entitlement, authority, and superiority among celebrities have been condoned and promoted by the media. "By modeling such behavior for public consumption, the rest of us are mirroring these dangerous traits in our own behavior."
We've become a me, me, me society. Come to my blog, leave me comments, tell me how much you love me and my life and my writing. Follow me on Twitter. Read about my every move on Facebook.
Blogging validates our place in space.
4. Reading blogs satisfies the voyeurism in each of us. We are curious beings. We can't help it. We read People magazine and watch the Bachelor, despite knowing how silly it us and how it won't make us a better person and that we've just been robbed of one or two hours of valuable time never to be recouped. Whatever the underlying motive for reading other blogs....
to escape
to dream
to poke fun
to feel superior
to gawk
to be critical
to empathize
to compare
to idolize
to learn
to be entertained
to feel
to connect
to steal ideas
to support...
....it rises from our curiosity as humans.
Blogging satisfies a human need to peek.
5. Reading blogs / getting comments / Facebook / Twitter / Texting / Email... all provide a small surge of dopamine.....the same "feel-good" substance that is released when taking addictive substances. The rush from social media doesn't come from the message's content, but by simply receiving a message (or comment).
Blogging is a legal, socially acceptable addiction.
Read more about this type of addiction here and here.
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So yes...some people blog simply to keep a journal. Or to inspire and motivate change in others. Or stay in touch with long-distance relatives. Or make money.
Or
Blogging is simply another medium for being a human being.
Why do you blog?
Keep swimming and keep blogging.
Love,
Ms. Fish
