transcribed from the blog of a close friend
the post
I've done it a lot, but I don't see the point in venting your frustrations on a blog. Can people really learn anything from your stress, situations that you can't even resolve in real life? Or what about the pointlessness of listing your recent accomplishments and achievements? Does it make people feel better that you are succeeding where they are failing? How does my Berkeley 4.0 make you feel? Or how about writing poems or stories with themes that explore the deeper meaning of life? Why do we write them when people are just going to take them, apply them to their lives, and interpret them in all these ways except in the one way you want them to understand the stories? Why do people on blogs hope to teach their readers lessons they learned about life? What do these people get out of exposing themselves to others? Why do readers read blogs and leave comments saying that they understand or know what you mean when their lives contradict their very comments? Why do we try to make people listen, when they don't want to listen, but they tell you they are listening? Why am I shouting?
my reply
To answer all your questions, in no specific order:
Because people want so badly to be unique. To show that they're unique. To have solid, written proof that they lead unique lives.
But in that goal, bloggers would also like there to be a good amount of resonance within the readers.
It's a contradiction, too. You wanna be unique, but you also want people to identify with what you're saying. If you don't have that full resonance, if no one truly understands what you're trying to tell them- then congratulations, you've succeeded in you're goal of being TRULY UNIQUE!
This is hardly the case for anyone, though. Many bloggers tend to lose their individuality in the goal of wanting their blogs to be read like the Princess Diaries. It's happened to me, its happened to everyone. You start writing for a particular audience, and in the process you lose the clarity of your voice. What do you want them to hear? You want them to hear you, which comes out not really being you, but (for most bloggers) the you that you think the audience will like better. Or for the ones with more integrity, the you that will be less controversial.
Which is why I have to slightly agree that blogs are pointless (why I don't like writing in them that much anymore, any of them). Because they are often misused as narcissistic tools, and because readers indulge in them as if they are really getting to know the person, their thoughts, their ideas, and their passions, when in truth they are just getting to know a filter.
[/end reply]
the world hates truth. it hates honesty.
because it hurts.
it's all a lie because of the silence.
beware the trap of misinterpretation. i'll catch you.
People read what they want to read, and see what they want to see.
I've done it a lot, but I don't see the point in venting your frustrations on a blog. Can people really learn anything from your stress, situations that you can't even resolve in real life? Or what about the pointlessness of listing your recent accomplishments and achievements? Does it make people feel better that you are succeeding where they are failing? How does my Berkeley 4.0 make you feel? Or how about writing poems or stories with themes that explore the deeper meaning of life? Why do we write them when people are just going to take them, apply them to their lives, and interpret them in all these ways except in the one way you want them to understand the stories? Why do people on blogs hope to teach their readers lessons they learned about life? What do these people get out of exposing themselves to others? Why do readers read blogs and leave comments saying that they understand or know what you mean when their lives contradict their very comments? Why do we try to make people listen, when they don't want to listen, but they tell you they are listening? Why am I shouting?
my reply
To answer all your questions, in no specific order:
Because people want so badly to be unique. To show that they're unique. To have solid, written proof that they lead unique lives.
But in that goal, bloggers would also like there to be a good amount of resonance within the readers.
It's a contradiction, too. You wanna be unique, but you also want people to identify with what you're saying. If you don't have that full resonance, if no one truly understands what you're trying to tell them- then congratulations, you've succeeded in you're goal of being TRULY UNIQUE!
This is hardly the case for anyone, though. Many bloggers tend to lose their individuality in the goal of wanting their blogs to be read like the Princess Diaries. It's happened to me, its happened to everyone. You start writing for a particular audience, and in the process you lose the clarity of your voice. What do you want them to hear? You want them to hear you, which comes out not really being you, but (for most bloggers) the you that you think the audience will like better. Or for the ones with more integrity, the you that will be less controversial.
Which is why I have to slightly agree that blogs are pointless (why I don't like writing in them that much anymore, any of them). Because they are often misused as narcissistic tools, and because readers indulge in them as if they are really getting to know the person, their thoughts, their ideas, and their passions, when in truth they are just getting to know a filter.
[/end reply]
the world hates truth. it hates honesty.
because it hurts.
it's all a lie because of the silence.
beware the trap of misinterpretation. i'll catch you.
People read what they want to read, and see what they want to see.