I miss this
I still come here like an out-of-towner driving through the old neighborhood. The landmarks are different and the streets are empty.
Social media ruined the internet. It used to be a much more intimate place, filled with thoughts people actually took the time to write out fluently, without a care about sharing them with whatever stranger could stumble by. Because those strangers actually read the paragraphs and took them in without pretense. There was nothing to be defensive about. It just was. I miss being able to open my browser and read about the daily lives and emotions of people. Now it's all "THESE ARE MY MOMMY TIPS!" OR "I CAN PAINT MASON JARS AND MAKE A DIAMOND CHANDELIER OUT OF THEM, HERE'S HOW!" There are no real personal weblogs or journals anymore, and I'm thirsty for them.
I learned so much about life from the online journal era. I was basically a shut in who lived on a computer and ate up all the words and experiences I could. I did everything 10 years later than everyone else, and this was my classroom. This was how I was exposed to Life on the Other Side, and learned about relationships, empathy, tolerance, and the human condition.
I was never good at writing regularly myself, though. I never felt interesting enough. I never felt like I had anything to say that anyone wanted to read. I was self-conscious of the way I came across, feeling like I sounded so juvenile because of my status as the poster child for arrested development. Or that my bouts of depression were too constant, pathetic and annoying to read through.
I cleaned out this journal not that long ago, locking all those posts that made me cringe in hindsight. I deleted all the deleted journals and abandoned communities. But I still log in at least once a week to see if there's any activity, although there almost never is.
I think we've become so accustomed to the idea of feedback that no one wants to write a journal entry anymore. We want exciting responses, dramatic mentions on a media blog, comments, replies, acknowledgment, followers and popularity on the internet.
I'd rather just write and know someone out there understands the words.
But no one's around here anymore. The internet no longer has a soul.
Social media ruined the internet. It used to be a much more intimate place, filled with thoughts people actually took the time to write out fluently, without a care about sharing them with whatever stranger could stumble by. Because those strangers actually read the paragraphs and took them in without pretense. There was nothing to be defensive about. It just was. I miss being able to open my browser and read about the daily lives and emotions of people. Now it's all "THESE ARE MY MOMMY TIPS!" OR "I CAN PAINT MASON JARS AND MAKE A DIAMOND CHANDELIER OUT OF THEM, HERE'S HOW!" There are no real personal weblogs or journals anymore, and I'm thirsty for them.
I learned so much about life from the online journal era. I was basically a shut in who lived on a computer and ate up all the words and experiences I could. I did everything 10 years later than everyone else, and this was my classroom. This was how I was exposed to Life on the Other Side, and learned about relationships, empathy, tolerance, and the human condition.
I was never good at writing regularly myself, though. I never felt interesting enough. I never felt like I had anything to say that anyone wanted to read. I was self-conscious of the way I came across, feeling like I sounded so juvenile because of my status as the poster child for arrested development. Or that my bouts of depression were too constant, pathetic and annoying to read through.
I cleaned out this journal not that long ago, locking all those posts that made me cringe in hindsight. I deleted all the deleted journals and abandoned communities. But I still log in at least once a week to see if there's any activity, although there almost never is.
I think we've become so accustomed to the idea of feedback that no one wants to write a journal entry anymore. We want exciting responses, dramatic mentions on a media blog, comments, replies, acknowledgment, followers and popularity on the internet.
I'd rather just write and know someone out there understands the words.
But no one's around here anymore. The internet no longer has a soul.