What is it that compels us to blog?

The best way to begin to introduce myself is in an exploration into as to why it is that I am here writing and to why others sit similarly at their computers. Of course, I and others are writing for a blog, but in general the reason for this depends on what it is that a blog means to each person that creates one and thus – due to the equivocal ambiguity of the term – it is hard to give a blanket answer as to why people have them. Some may interpret their blog is an online diary, a showcase of photographs, or a collection of writings on a selection of issues. But what links all of these types is the public element; the fact that it has actively been placed on the internet for others to see.

And so, a blog is essentially a type of social media, much like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Social media emerged and blossomed over the last ten years and has become filled with billions of posts ranging from political commentaries to holiday pictures to memes. And this is the true appeal of these websites. You can fill them with what you want them to be filled with. You can see what you want to see. You can interact with friends, acquaintances, celebrities – literally anyone else with an account. The first part of this – at least – is also true with blogs. You can post what you want, and you can choose to see whatever you want and although there is considerably less user interaction, it is still possible. A page on Facebook could be the same as a blog if you wanted it to be, but often it is not – possibly due to the increased exposure from people you actually know on this ‘mainstream social media’. And it is often, or at least in my case, those that are intimidated by this, but still want to share their ideas, photos or thoughts with others that flock to create and post on their own blogs – a safer, more subtle, social media.

The advent of radio and television introduced the idea of fame to the masses. Before this point, to be known of but not known was far more difficult, especially amongst those from a poorer background who would barely be aware of anyone but royalty outside of their own communities. However, when audio and visual media burst onto the scene, those who featured prominently essentially became the first celebrities. Watching a performance was also no longer reserved mainly for the rich, but became mainstream as many acquired radios and televisions. Naturally, as more and more became performers and attained fame, more and more aspired to, but demand could only go so high despite supply booming. Those unsuccessful who remained became the majority, a group that desired and demanded to perform and be noticed.

This demand was finally answered by the arrival of the internet and more specifically, social media. Websites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube were designed to provide platforms for people to showcase their lives and thoughts in a performance to others. When you log onto social media at the end of the day, that is essentially what you are doing – providing the audience to the online rendition of another persons’ life. It was from this that the concept of internet popularity sprouted, which has now manifested itself in almost every social website that exists. YouTubers, Instagram models and Facebook pages provide examples of new this phenomenon that showcases an alternate stairway to an alternative fame.

The difference between real life performance and the internet is that even without massive online fame you are still able to perform in the same way that those with this popularity do. It is not like a concert where without it you can visibly see the difference in front of you – fewer people watching live. Instead, when you put something on the internet, the act of creation in real life is largely done in front of the same amount of people, whether you are famous or not. Furthermore, when you upload it goes to the very same platform irrespective of your popularity – you see yourself on the same figurative stage, whether you have ten followers or ten million. In fact, the experience is identical up to the numbers that you get back in response, but these carry much less weight than seeing them actualized in human form and so particularly small one will not do as much to discourage you as empty seats would. Social media offers a platform for performance, with the potential of validation – a potential that is very much actualized on ‘friends-based’ websites – and since the validation occurs after the performance itself, the risk of audience rejection is far less unnerving and is even stifled by the barrier of screens between you and it. Thus, the chance of fame, and triviality of being ignored, make social media the ideal outlet for the generation that demanded to perform.

 

But what does this have to do with a compulsion to blog, and its generalisation to a compulsion to post. In my own case, my blogging is ‘In Maintenance of Penmanship’ during a mathematics degree, but I feel that I would be lying to myself if I said the need for validation and performance was not a part of it too. If I wanted to continue writing I need not post it online, but it is the potential acknowledgement of ideas that spurs me to write and acts as an incentive to finish a piece rather than leave it half completed. And I think that this is true of anything that is posted to the internet. You may claim that there is a completely alternate reason – and I acknowledge that this might be the case – but the next time you post, I would encourage you to think about your true reasons for doing so. Not because a desire for performance is a bad thing, but rather because an understanding of yourself and your motives is often a very good thing indeed.