Good Read: Blogging is narcissistic (except when it’s not)

I was going to post the last part of my story yesterday but I had a long day and wasn’t up to it (well, actually…I was just procrastinating as usual). I PROMISE it will be up today or tonight. Really. Be patient, grasshoppers.

In the meantime, I want to share an article I just read that ties right into a post of mine from the other day about whether or not blogging about narcissism is narcissistic. This has been a bit of an obsession of mine lately. (My verdict: it could be.)

I didn’t see a re-blog button on the article (it’s from WP.org–is that why?) so I’ll just repost it in my clunky amateurish fashion because I have no idea how to use the CSS feature I just purchased as part of custom design. Boo on me.

Blogging is Narcissistic (Except When it’s Not)
By Tom McFarlin (originally posted September 17, 2013)

One of the things that’s becoming more and more common is that certain critics are claiming that we’re becoming more and more of a narcissistic society with our constant sharing of things on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, blogs, and so on.

I don’t know if I observation really holds water or not – rarely are things black and white, so I’m sure it’s true in some cases – but I’ve never really considered blogging in and of itself of be narcissistic.

This isn’t to say it can’t be, but I don’t think that it – as a medium – is meant to feed that particular aspect of the human condition.

Blogging is Narcissistic…
I mean, I get it. The argument goes something like this:

Narcissism is excessive or erotic interest in oneself
Blogging involves talking about oneself
Therefore, blogging is narcissistic
And, like I said earlier, rarely are things black and white, but I don’t believe that the majority of bloggers are out to serve some level of self-involvement. Instead, I think that they are sharing their content in order to either help one other or to get feedback from others on any given set of circumstances.

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So what’s the point of bringing all of this up?

What You Have To Say Matters
In short, I’m one of those idealistic people that believes everyone has something to say regardless of how good or how poor of a writer they are.

We’ve all got our beliefs, our ideas, and our things that we want to share with others, which is why I love building things on the largest publishing platform on the planet. Simply put, it helps people share whatever it is they have to share.

And even though it may not be of interest to me, it’s of interest to others, and that matters.

Share Others Work
The aspect of blogging is that I – as well as you – know plenty of people who manage blogs that do nothing but share and/or promote other peoples work. On top of that, there’s nothing wrong with promoting said work on your own blog to help evangelize someone else’s work.

But at the end of the day, it’s your blog and you’re free to do whatever it is what you’re want to do with it; however, I do believe that we should help share other people’s work. That’s my two cents.

…Except When It Is

Ultimately, my point is that for those of you who are blogging to keep at it and keep sharing. The majority of us love to see what it is that you’re working on, and we love to get into the conversation when possible.

But know that blogging can be as narcissistic as you make it. Don’t listen to whatever anyone else is saying. Write on – whatever it’s about – as we, or someone, do want to hear what you have to share.

1 thought on “Good Read: Blogging is narcissistic (except when it’s not)

  1. It’s an interesting issue. As to the question of, are we becoming more narcissistic? Oh yes, we now live in a tech world full of selfies and celebrity. Bloggers not so much, bloggers are attempting to communicate ideas or create community or gain some perspective from other people.

    Some writers believe that our best writing can come from removing as many “I” statements and references to “me” as possible. It’s kind of a fun exercise to try and extremely challenging. The theory is that using “I” or “me” is redundant, because your writing itself will reveal “you.” As a girl, it feels somewhat aggressive. We’re taught to only speak for ourselves, to use I statements so people understand it’s only your opinion. The first time I tried writing without any reference to “me” somebody came along and promptly declared, “you can’t say that! You don’t speak for all women!” It was kind of funny, actually.

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