The increasing speed of daily life makes people impatient and shortens their attention spans. So do things like high-speed Internet, microwave ovens, commercial-free radio/TV, and the instant gratification of posting something “witty” on Facebook and seeing comments and “likes” pile up. It’s a world where a lot of us stare at screens for a good portion of the day when we work, then we come home to our personal computers, tablets, smartphones, and TVs and stare at screens some more.
Information (both true and false) is everywhere, and words are worth less than a dime a dozen. People are therefore more selective of what they read, and they tend to choose something short and sweet. Microblogs and sites that encourage you to post pictures and write short updates (like Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr) have more staying power than blogs, which are harder to keep up with (for both writers and readers). It’s easier and quicker to scroll through your Twitter feed or Tumblr dashboard and get quick updates than it is to read an entire blog entry. Instagram is now pretty popular, and it is basically just a photo-sharing social networking site — no text involved except short captions.
It’s probably true that blogging is just another fad or trend; it has reached its golden age and is now beginning to decline. I noticed that over the years I’ve been blogging, very few people post regularly, and it seems like my feed is getting more and more empty. I’ve followed new blogs whose writers have much hope and enthusiasm, then a few months down the line, they don’t post anymore. On the contrary, Facebooks, Twitters, and Tumblrs have been updated regularly for many years. I think website abandonment happens much more often with blogs, but that could just be my experience.
What do you think about the state of blogging these days?
