You thought I gave up blogging for Lent! How wrong you were! I simply had to forsake the blog for a few days to prepare for my first conference presentation. Uh, we'll talk about that later...
Recent discussions have spurred me to consider the purpose of blogs. Mrs. D, an internet friend of mine (loaded statement, log that for future discussion as well) who has the most fabulous intellect and knock out sense of humor has recently been encouraged by her husband and other friends like myself to join the world of blogging. This begs the question - what do we see as the value in a blog, and what makes someone a good blogger? I think Mrs. D has the potential to be a great blogger - and what in tarnation does that mean?
The lovely Mrs. D is skeptical about her place in the blogverse. She argues that there are too many self-indulgent, navel gazing blogs out there; she doesn't seem to want to blog unless it serves a higher purpose. Well folks, you tell me: Is there a higher purpose in me spouting off at you? Does it fulfill some need of yours to read it? Because it certainly fulfills a certain need of mine, which is probably nothing more than a bit of catharis mixed with amusement (for the Aristotelians, here's a more modern definition). Someday, and it will be soon, I'll be comfortable to enough to start sharing some "deep thoughts," and who know, they may have profound effect on one lonely little person out there.
Which brings me to the second point I have been just dying to hash over, and that is the blogs out there that DO change the world. A segment on the Daily Show last night considered the new trend in blog journalism. It was bloggers that uncovered the Great Dan Rather scandal, and countless other issues that seem to get lost in the "real" journalism of the national press. See, sharing your thoughts/airing dirty laundry in a public and free forum CAN benefit the people.
But I contend that just because you can change the world, doesn't mean you must (argh, how badly did I just want to write "have to" in my extremely unrefined American grammatical way). Write irreverant stories, gaze at your navel, tell the world what you bought at the grocery store today. Because it makes you feel better. Because it changes your world. Because if you can plug into the great cybernation, you know you aren't alone.
4 comments:
I think too that we blog because a basic human drive is to claim our part of history...to commit our lives to words and so immemorialize them. People have kept diaries and journals for centuries, not even to publish and show the world (blogging takes care of some of the vanities of that), but simply to make a record, an imprint of one's life in the passing sweep of time.
Almost everyone wants to write history, even if that history is a list of purchased groceries or a long navel gaze. If that written account exists, you are saying to the world, to history, to the times to come, to anyone who happens to come across it, those eternal words I WAS HERE. Blogging is like vandalizing time.
I don't blog for such metaphysical reasons. I need something to do between classes and I can only read so much news online in a day.
I don't blog for such metaphysical reasons. I need something to do between classes and I can only read so much news online in a day.
Actually, I think you did give up blogging for Lent.
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