The effortless, hassle-free microblogging on social platforms combined with the dopamine-filled instant âLikesâ gratifications had a gravitational pull that proved hard to separate from, for some, resulting in many personal blogs languishing.
Something about 2023 brought about the resurgence of blogging as a medium in ways we havenât seen since the dawn of social media platforms stealing away the thunder of writing and publishing to personal blogs. Even more astonishing is the number of bloggers taking to their blogs, evangelising the creation of personal blogs.
It truly is great to see such encouragement. More so, the sheer number of people positively responding to the calls and starting their websites and blogs as we continue to witness the walls around siloed social media platforms crumble while the open web rejoices:
Oh man am I happy! People that hadn't written on their blog in a long time are blogging again. Websites that hadn't been updated in many years, some over a decade, are being spruced up and published to again. And popular news outlets are publishing articles about blogging.
The most interesting outlet, to me, has been a resurgent interest in personal websites, blogs and digital gardens. We lost platforms for expression and connection that were convenient, but which we never owned.
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What we have, is an opportunity to rethink how we present ourselves online, how we connect and at what pace we choose to do so. We can still write, we can still post, we can still share and we can still talk to one another.
I can feel the inexorable march towards the rebirth of blogging Geekdom: New blogging communities form based on shared commonalities and passions; be it a community of fine nerdery about technology, sports, domesticated skills, or whatever niche topic you specifically want to blog about, your community is out there, large or small. And despite the internet having a habit of rogue gatekeepers trying to keep you at bay, it is important to remind yourself that; we all started somewhere, and you do not owe it to anyone to prove you belong if your enthusiasm and passion are authentic.
Anyone trying to purposely erect border fences or demanding to see ID upon entry to the land of Geekdom is missing the point. They have no power over you. Ignore them and dive headfirst into the things that interest you. Soak up every experience. Lose yourself in the pursuit of knowledge. When you finally come up for air, youâll find that the long road to geekdom no longer stretches out before you. No one can deny you entry. Youâre already home.
â Hypercritical
One of the most beautiful aspects of geek culture is its inclusivity. It's a space where differences should be celebrated and diversity embraced. I feel it is important that, with the current momentum the rise of blogging is witnessing, we cultivate unwavering support from those who can, to help newcomers take the right strides in their blogging journeys. Each one teach one, as we embark on rejuvenating the blogging and blogging communities on the open web.
