When I first started blogging in 2005 or was it 2004, I don’t remember any more, but it was an empowering opportunity to express myself. I really hadn’t been “allowed” to do that in my life experience. At first it was terrifying. Then it was liberating! Sharing your deepest thoughts and life’s experiences seemed to be the point of the blog. After all, a blog was supposed to be an online journal – not a marketing tool.
But just as I was thriving by blogging, social media took center stage, and blogs were shoved to the side. And now people feel free to express not only their deepest thoughts, but their deepest hates, prejudices, anger, political opinions, I mean, we all know how ugly it’s become because it’s not just an honest expression, it’s an attack on everything people disagree with.
I deleted Facebook and Instagram. Except for posting blog posts on Twitter, I mostly ignore it. I use LinkedIn only when I want to take a class on what used to be Lynda.com. Unfortunately, Facebook ruined Instagram when they acquired it and LinkedIn ruined Lynda.com when they acquired it and Youtube was much better before Google acquired it. But after 23 years in Silicon Valley, I can tell you that’s how Silicon Valley works – companies grow by acquiring other companies.
Anyway, I also stopped blogging. I retreated. I began to repress my thoughts and feelings online. I turned to poetry. Poetry felt safer. I sat down to write today’s blog post but really had to push myself to write something. I’m going to have to take #Blogtoberfest one day at a time because I’m not sure I’m up to blogging every day for the month of October. That’s 31 blog posts. I jokingly told myself that maybe I have PTSMD – Post Traumatic Social Media Disorder. 🙂
(photo from The Effects of Social Media on Depression)
Screamie Birds Studios 