The loneliness of the long-distance blogger

Posted on July 26, 2003 by Ken Parish
Posted in Life

Bite the bullet. Why is it easier to expose emotions and vulnerabilities to hundreds of strangers on a blog than to just one on a tram? The evolution of a trend towards blending of the personal and political in the blogosphere, arguably initially orchestrated by Gianna, is a fascinating phenomenon that bears watching, methinks.

8 Comments

  1. Tysen
    July 26, 2003

    What do you mean by "bears watching"? Is that a pun that I don't get?

    Are you surrounded by bears! Thats my worst nightmare.

  2. cs
    July 26, 2003

    That (Tysen's comment) is what happens when you bag Media Watch Ken. The fairies never sleep.

  3. Geoff Honnor
    July 26, 2003

    Paddington Bear I'm assuming Ken?

    Tysen, I suspect that Ken used 'bear' in this context because it's more correct than 'bare' - and much less likely to invoke roguish, speculative commentary.

  4. Rob Schaap
    July 27, 2003

    Where have all the solid Ozzie virtues - with which my Dutch psyche was so transformed - gone? We blokes had three emotions: happy, angry and randy. Plenty!

    Me, I was a natural - got it down to two.

    And I only let the one out on the blog.

    I reckon this public emoting stuff is eloquent testimony to the cancerous infusion into Stroin loif of the Jerry Springer element of Yanqui kulcha.

    Bloody demeaning, I reckon.

    My cask's dry now, so I'm going to bed.

  5. Gianna
    July 27, 2003

    ouch, Rob...

    btw ken, "initially orchestrated" - thanks, but i hardly think it was my invention.

  6. Niall
    July 27, 2003

    Personal stuff blogging is where it all began. The advent of the political or quasi-political blog is only recent.

  7. Rob Schaap
    July 28, 2003

    You're quite right, Niall. For my part, I was being a tad ironic. And I certainly wasn't taking a swipe at Gianna. I've some complicated thorts - not complicated to think (natch) but complicated to write - on emotion, gender and publicity I might try to articulate on Tuesday night (my only working week blogging night).

    Tell ya what I already know I think, though. One's emotions are one's own - and there's nothing wrong with the sharing of those. But other people are often complicit in the generation of these emotions, and at this point obligations arise. I certainly reckon bloggers should be more careful than they typically are in this respect. Maybe alternative sounding boards are rare in these modern alienated lives of ours, but I do think there's an ethical issue when it comes to pumping other people's private stuff into Google's indiscriminate maw.

  8. Gianna
    July 28, 2003

    no worries, Rob...I agree with you....truth hurts.

    still, i don't think it matters as much if people use pseudonyms and remove all identifying characteristics. if the blogee then reads about himself or herself on your blog, they can hardly feel too exposed.