The Essence of Blogging

A quick internet search for "blog" will reveal millions of results. It's one of the most popular forms of self expression in the world today, and thousands of people are doing it. The varieties and applications of blogs are endless, ranging from political editorials to personal day-to-day happenings. The acceptance of blogs is also rising considerably, as the medium is moving towards becoming a fully legitimate media source. Even personal, "diary" blogs, have seen a dramatic increase in recent years. But none of this answers the question: why do bloggers blog?

While the motives and objectives of some blogs are obvious, others are not. In particular, the goals of personal blogs are rather obscure. When it was first suggested to me that I start a personal blog, my reaction was skeptical to say the least. "Why on earth would anyone want to read about my everyday life, much less my lengthy thoughts about it?" Now, after more than 4 years of blogging, I feel that that the reason for the success of blogging comes down to three basic answers.

Firstly, and perhaps most obviously, blogging is a form of self-expression. In much the same way as a diary or journal, writing about our lives helps us to sort out of the details and focus our thoughts. From exploring critical life decisions to just "getting something off our chests", blogging provides a creative outlet for the joys, stresses, and frustrations of our lives.

Secondly, we like to believe that other people find what we have to say important. Uploading a journal entry to a website, no matter how mundane or boring, always opens the door to a great potential of readers. The blogger is able to convey his ideas and opinions, and hope that "someone, somewhere" will find it worthwile. And for many people, this is more than enough motivation.