Thoughts: On whether bloggers blog simply to vent emotions
With millions of new blogs being born every month, the fine line between great content and a lot of content keeps blurring. Bloggers are posting about the most random topics imaginable, from people blogging about how to sleep in cars to people blogging about blogs that blog about the topic of blogging about blogging.
Do most blogs that do not aim to make money tell us that many people simply want a platform for expression? Are bloggers indirectly showing us that human beings simply need to express their feelings, and doing it online fulfills that need?
Are we blogging because we need to vent our emotions?
While it may seem that many bloggers are blogging because the concept of blogging may be cool, what many of us are not focusing on is that many bloggers are blogging because it makes them feel important, because of the fact that online people get to listen to what they have to say through blogs. Bloggers are probably like covered tea pots on fire, waiting to boil up and spill out emotions, emotions that can be important or random. The focus is on expressing any emotion, and not on what is being expressed.
Are we blogging because of desperation? Do we feel deprived from expressing ourselves in the busy offline life to such an extent that we are willing to vent through blogs about anything and everything? Venting emotions is not only limited to complaining; we can simply be expressing whatever we can, because it may feel better to be heard, seen, listened to or felt through our blogs throughout the day, whereas in the offline world we may not be even noticed by others.
What is your opinion on the idea of blogging simply to be heard?
What do you think? Do you think blogs are famous simply because people feel that they can talk to someone online and be heard, thus fulfilling the inner desire to be heard by others?
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( May 14th, 2007 at 2:30 am )
I believe yes, we blog because we need to express ourselves… At least, this is the reason I am blogging…
( May 14th, 2007 at 3:00 am )
Klearchos, thanks for sharing.
Expressing things is good, and probably the purpose of many, of not most, blogs.
( May 14th, 2007 at 4:44 am )
I blog just to be heard.
Perhaps though it is the reasons for wanting to be heard that matter more.
I want to contribute to web design in some way whether that is by helping people learn, or by advancing it through techniques. Either way is good by me.
The one thing I don’t do on my blog is vent my emotions. That seems a tad reckless to me. Do I want a prospective employer judging me on my views about religion or politics? Do I want to the times when people misunderstand me to suggest that I am intollerant of others, or self-absorbed? Indeed not.
( May 14th, 2007 at 6:20 am )
Andrew Rickmann, thanks for your comment. Wanting to help people learn usually requires having those people listen or understand or figure something out, so “wanting to be heard” becomes a bit logical in that aspect.
You bring up an interesting point that many people judge others based on their views on politics and religion. In those cases, a personal blog or any blog that vents emotions, probably in a negative manner, about religion or politics may be seen as evidence of a character that should not be hired in many corporate environments. A person should be entitled to have different views, but unfortunately, many people are hearing more stories of companies firing people, instead of hiring, because of their blogs.
( May 14th, 2007 at 8:27 am )
A lot of people blog for that reason. I think that sometimes it is more obvious than other times… Or should I say, in some situations, people who blog for the reasons you mentioned in this entry can sometimes take it to the extreme.. It’s almost as if they forget that real people are reading their blogs. Although, that is kind of the point of a journal. People are allowed to go all out — they’re permitted to say whatever it is that they want to say. But at the same time, I think it is wise to blog with caution; especially nowadays.
( May 14th, 2007 at 10:39 am )
Nicole, thanks for the comment, and welcome back!
Long time no see.
What you say is something important; that people who vent emotions through their blogs sometimes take it to the extreme. A journal is probably a sincere form of communication between the journal and the person, though online, when other people are involved, a person can still choose to have a journal that is completely open, or a journal that focuses on not only the blogger and the journal, but also the readers. Caution is important, yes, consider the employee mentality that Andrew mentioned above.
( May 14th, 2007 at 12:27 pm )
I definitely don’t blog to vent emotions, but I do need to clearly express my thoughts and opinion on whatever topic I’m writing about.
Blogging for me is not an emotional outlet. It is a creative channel, it is a challenge that stimulates my brain; and since I quit teaching it is a sharing outlet for me as well.
( May 14th, 2007 at 6:35 pm )
Vivien-inspirationbit, thanks for sharing what you do. That can be another example of venting: expressing things “clearly.”
That is how people should look at blogs if they do not know how to look at blogs; emotional outlets, creative channels, etc. That should help someone figure out what their blog does for them.
( May 14th, 2007 at 9:59 pm )
Here is how I break it down (this is only my personal opinion):
5 % of blogs are very informative having relative information to someone out there who is looking for it at that time
20% of blogs are somewhat informative; meaning it is not something that I would check back to regularly for information
50% of blogs are online journals where people have a group of readers or friends who write articles about their lives so others can get updated daily on their thoughts and events that occur.
25% of blogs are vent blogs where people write about something that bothers them all the time and these are the least visited of all. Unless you find one that you would agree with. I usually never go back to these.
hope that clearly states my opinion on the matter.
Thanks for writing about something we all are thinking.
( May 15th, 2007 at 11:57 am )
Svend, thanks for coming here, and thanks also for commenting.
That is a very nice breakdown of blogs based on how their writing is based on emotions or what people, the readers, are looking for.
I am guessing many personal blogs fall into the 3rd and 4th categories [50% and 25% categories].
Question: could there be a category of blog that has very informative, or extremely informative information, yet it is not what people are normally, or actively, looking for unless they come across such a blog and realize what is being said or what message is being conveyed?
Also, it may be possible that a blog can switch categories depending on the post. For example, someone searching for a topic may come across a post written on a personal blog related to that specific topic, while at other times if they visit that blog, they might feel it has no relevant information [to the searcher/reader].
Thanks again Svend. This was extremely helpful!
( May 18th, 2007 at 7:24 am )
I agree with Svend, with little alteration that majority of blogs are not read by any tangible number of people, and thus, when authors think that their work is not valued or read, they quit. Darren Rowse says that the average lifetime for a blog is 6 months, according to his experience. I think that blog is a challenge for me, some test for my internal integrity, and ability to express myself out loud. If I fail, I will persist, and find new and new ways to attract readership.
( May 18th, 2007 at 7:32 am )
[...] I read an article about motivation of bloggers: http://thereasoner.com/blog/thoughts-on-whether-bloggers-blog-simply-to-vent-emotions/Â . That is an interesting theme, and goes into the deep motivations of people who [...]
( May 18th, 2007 at 12:17 pm )
Alexander Radich, thanks for visiting the site and for commenting. The model that Svend presented is indeed interesting, and it may work for a lot of people.
It’s interesting that Dareen considers 6 months to be the lifetime for a blog; I wonder if after that, a dying blog closes or if it just slows down and loses momentum? On a similar note, so far your blog seems to be doing good, by the way.
Good luck!
One should realize, however, that every person may have a little bit different outlook on things because of their own understanding or experience or both.
Thanks again Alexander. I hope to see more input from you in the future.
( December 18th, 2007 at 7:12 pm )
I use my blog to note these useful articles for me,so I needn’t search it so hardly via Internet. And these articles maybe are what others are searching,so I share it. Sometimes I post my thoughts and emotions.I think there are so many people who have the same ideas with you.It’s a good idea to communicate via posting your comments.Then the ower of the blog can find you via the hyperlink you post.
In a word , Sharing data,ideas and emotions with others is a good idea!
( February 18th, 2008 at 11:13 am )
cunzhang, thanks for the comment and for sharing. Expressing things for the dual purpose of expression and sharing can be a very good idea compared to many other purposes, and vice versa.
A comment allows venting from the other side also. This other side is the side of the commentors, who usually are the people which the writer hopes to get the attention of. Even if there is no acknowledgment of such an attention, many writers of any kind and medium still hopes to vent, to express, while many others vent to express to achieve something else like money. Of course, many writers usually do not realize that venting is their purpose or that venting to get something else is their purpose, and not the idea of wanting to try out something cool alone, unless one wants to try out something cool in order to get something else.
[Off-topic a bit]: your site isn’t loading, by the way.
( April 22nd, 2008 at 1:47 pm )
[...] gives you a place to vent. College is a time of ups and downs and you need an emotional [...]