Now that 2014 is underway, I have personal resolutions as well as blogging resolutions that I have to work towards. However, as I was working towards my goals, I came across a relevant Teen Vogue article about fame as well as a Refinery 29 article about how fashion blogging is changing.
How are these two articles relevant? There’s a lot more pressure for fame in blogging. I know I’ve felt it over the years and I know that I’m not alone.
Renee Lorentzen, the author of the Refinery 29 article writes, “But, today, the term “blogging” means something entirely different than it did a few years ago. Especially, when taking the lure of fame, fortune, and freebies into consideration. ‘Blogging used to be about being honest, sharing what was on your mind, and offering something different than the magazines,’ Darling [co-founder of Blogcademy] adds.”
While book blogging is less glamorous than other types of blogging, such as fashion or life-style blogging, there are still perks. Advance-reader copies, the ability to meet other bloggers and going to industry events such as Book Expo America.
And like other types of blogging, there’s an increased pressure to achieve in blogging, through various types of follower counts, including Twitter and Goodreads, and statistics. When did blogging become so complicated?
In the Teen Vogue article, Yalda T. Uhls, a senior researcher at UCLA’s Children’s Digital Media Center, “young people are aspiring to fame more than anything else.” Bloggers aren’t immune to this either. While fame may not be their immediate thought when it comes to blogging, isn’t fame expressed through follower counts and Google Analytics statistics?
In the same Teen Vogue article, it also says, “When your self-esteem depends on how much the world loves you, or retweets your quips, or Likes your Instagrams, or views your vlog, you’re at its mercy.” Don’t I know it. I’ve spent countless hours thinking of blog posts that would appeal to readers, thus gaining more hits. Is this necessary? Not necessarily.
So for 2014, one of my blogging resolutions is blog more for myself. Blog about what I like and stop paying so much attention to statistics and follower counts because at the end, this is my blog. I hope to bring in more original content that stays true to me as well as relaxing a bit when it comes to blogging. After all, numbers are still numbers. Why become fixated on them?
What are your 2014 blogging resolutions? What are your thoughts on the need to be famous and the overwhelming pressure to perform as a blogger?
