some thoughts about blogging
as a communication scholar (i get to call myself that because my BA is in communication), blogging intrigues me. online journals have changed the way we tell our stories - our culture is moving farther and farther away from oral traditions of old, and sometimes i wonder if we'll get to a place where we never actually talk to one another at all.
i'm particularly fascinated by the fact that, in my circle of friends at mhgs, most of us blog, and we blog about some pretty deep stuff. we are processing all that's being stirred up in us, on the world wide web. anyone can read our thoughts. and we want them to. and even more so, we want them to comment. we check our blogs multiple times a day, hoping to see that someone has responded to what we wrote. generally, every time i'm on the internet i go through a routine of checking my blog and then running down a list of blogs of people i know and love. i don't leave comments very often, even though i know my friends are longing for the same kind of recognition and connection that i am. but worse than that, i don't generally talk to my friends and family about the things i'm posting about (this blog aside, ironically). i don't call someone up and say, "hey, i posted on my blog today, and i'd really like to hear your thoughts on it" much less just go talk with them and ask for feedback in the first place. instead i write in the hopes that someone will find my blog and respond.
so, what does this mean in terms of communication? what are the implications of this kind of communicating in relationships? and why does it somehow feel safer to publish my journal for all the world to see and hope to be found then to simply invite someone to talk about all the things i'm thinking about?
as a communication scholar (i get to call myself that because my BA is in communication), blogging intrigues me. online journals have changed the way we tell our stories - our culture is moving farther and farther away from oral traditions of old, and sometimes i wonder if we'll get to a place where we never actually talk to one another at all.
i'm particularly fascinated by the fact that, in my circle of friends at mhgs, most of us blog, and we blog about some pretty deep stuff. we are processing all that's being stirred up in us, on the world wide web. anyone can read our thoughts. and we want them to. and even more so, we want them to comment. we check our blogs multiple times a day, hoping to see that someone has responded to what we wrote. generally, every time i'm on the internet i go through a routine of checking my blog and then running down a list of blogs of people i know and love. i don't leave comments very often, even though i know my friends are longing for the same kind of recognition and connection that i am. but worse than that, i don't generally talk to my friends and family about the things i'm posting about (this blog aside, ironically). i don't call someone up and say, "hey, i posted on my blog today, and i'd really like to hear your thoughts on it" much less just go talk with them and ask for feedback in the first place. instead i write in the hopes that someone will find my blog and respond.
so, what does this mean in terms of communication? what are the implications of this kind of communicating in relationships? and why does it somehow feel safer to publish my journal for all the world to see and hope to be found then to simply invite someone to talk about all the things i'm thinking about?
This entry was posted
on Friday, October 20, 2006 at 1:10 PM.
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Because it feels safer to have that layer... I think there are folks who much prefer to communicate face to face (including both you and your father) and some that are more comfortable with the written word (speaking of myself). I think that one of the things you are learning is how to make "real" communication safe for the person you are helping out - perhaps that person doesn't feel safe in person OR in writing. At any rate,I love reading you; please keep posting. And by the way, blogger has a feature that will email you all comments made to your blog, so you might want to turn that on.
Yep, I like reading your thoughts as well. The weekend really stirred up my thinking about trust. What do you think about this line, "Humility is trusting God and others with yourself"? It is provoking thought in ME. Love you!
bullshit.
blogs decrease community
and
demoralize humanity.
period.
wow - strong language. would you be willing to say more? i'm curious to know about your experience; how have you seen blogs decreasing community and demoralizing humanity?
Hi Lacie,
came across your blog as I did a search for other students at mhgs. So ironic. A student looking for other student blogs when, as you said, we could just meet up and chat! =) But in true mh fashion, let's deconstruct:
As sad as it is, face to face conversations often leave us feeling unheard. Kind of like class, where we can feel the tension of people just wanting to respond to the topic at hand without really responding to the conversation. It is a give and take that can be unsatisfying. I think blogs give us a chance to get our thoughts out in a way that makes them available for further conversation (as opposed to a private journal). Hence, why we are disappointed when people don't post, or continue to "converse" with us. That is my analysis...
That being said, I know our paths don't cross much, but I would love to chat face to face anytime about your experience thus far!
Sarah C. (your fellow zonie)
My mind has always been 10 times more active than most of my friends, which tends to drive them crazy, so I've found that writing is a good outlet for my thoughts. Even though very few people ever leave comments on my blog, blogging still forces me to write my thoughts clearly, knowing that any random stranger might stumble upon them.
My writing has improved quite a bit since I started blogging, so I appreciate it for that reason. In fact, blogging for me is more of a peer review of all of my rough drafts than it is a journal.
I tend to have more fun writing my posts than getting responses to them. But the responses are always fun too and I really enjoy responding to other people's posts and having blog-ersations.
If I haven't written in a while, and you run into me, chances are that you might get an earful of ideas and observations. When I'm writing, I can clear my mind of all those thoughts and be a lot more present to my friends when they need me to just listen.
So, since I get plenty of face-to-face interaction with my friends, I've found that blogging, in a funny way, actually improves my social life.
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