2025-03-11
• meta • 628 words
Is my blogging just as bad as social media?
I have, for a good chunk of my life now, decided not to use social media. To be more specific, I think social media has to be divided into two, namely:
And I decided not to use either.
My reasons for not using either were that the "scrolly aspect" is just... draining. It takes away time and doesn't give you anything for it. I think that consumption of media generally can be a good thing: to read a book is good, and podcasts and Youtube videos can be helpful in learning about (or introducing) a topic, but the scrolling doesn't really do that. It just wicks away time.
The popularity contest part, or the posting really, has never really been my thing. It's too statistical... "I've only got 100 likes, it's not enough!" and frantically worrying about that and what you need to do just isn't for me.
That said, I'm doing this blog now. I think there are potentially some major differences. Firstly, it's almost... without an audience. Or at the very least it is not actively shown to anybody, but anyone who looks at what I write does so in their own spare time by their own decision. It's also a lot less clear to see who is reading the blog: I do have Umami statistics, but it's unclear to see what is bot traffic or just me, against what is other people, and I don't even really check it that much anyways. Certainly there is nothing like your latest post got X views that I can use to decide what is "popular" or not. If there was, honestly I think I'd enjoy it less. I like the ability to just write the post post, go to the site to check it all looks ok formatting-wise, and forget about it. In that way, it almost doesn't feel social to me. I've written notes and journalled etc. for a long time, and this almost feels like just another form of writing, instead of actually something I'm doing with, or for, others. It's a solitary act.
Another part is, it's not really possible to "compete" over it. As said, I don't even really have clear numbers on who and how many people read this blog (to the best of my knowledge, the number is zero) and definitely don't have numbers for anyone else. So, my writing isn't really changed my wanting to appeal to anyone. I'm not sure whether an audience would change how I write, but I think it would probably make my doubt myself at the very least. I do self-censor a little, as is natural, because there are certain things I don't want to put on the blog - but the work is mostly true to my own mind.
It does still involve producing content, and ... arguably it's for other people? I think, more than actually being for other people though, it's more written for the sake of it, or for myself, and just "happens" to be also visible by others.
I think, blogging probably does fill the same hole as social media. Reading blogs (even so far as reading in a feed like format, like RSS) is almost like the endless scroll... The difference I suppose is that you choose what you read, and it's almost less captivating, so it's easier to stop if you want. I don't feel any pressure to read people's blogs, but do it sometimes because it is fun. Likewise, blogging of my own isn't specifically tied to the other person reading it, but it is still the same idea of producing. It's the same act, almost, but phrased in a healthier way, if that makes any sense.