Editorial :: Blogs, Xangas, and Live Journals

Editorial :: Blogs, Xangas, and Live Journals
Posted :: Aug 31, 2004 by Haggs

It didn't hit me till the other day when I started noticing an excessive hype about blogs, or internet journals. Had a bad day? Secretly admire someone? Do something you shouldn't have? Post it in your blog of course! Rather than asking someone how their day went, many blog users expect their friends and family to read their blog instead. In one case a my friend of mine spent the night at home rather than with friends because he didn't read his friend's Live Journal to find out what was happening. Is a simple phone call too much to ask? Where did this excessive enthusiasm for blogs come from anyways?

Initially I just assumed it would be a dying trend. I hoped for society's sake that internet journals would be extremely popular for a while, then die down as people realize what blogs are doing to interpersonal communication(remember Pogs?). Has society become so impersonal that we can no longer socialize with our close friends about our day, and would prefer that they read about it instead? Perhaps people become so comfortable with their inner feelings that they are open enough to post them on the internet for the whole world to see and read. Then again, if the journaler knows that anyone could read what he/she has written in his/her journal, then the journaler may be inclined to censor what he or she posts. Is that really journaling?

To me, journals are a place for private thoughts, reflections, and ideas. Journaling seems like something that's done by an individual for the benefit of the individual, rather than an impersonal form of communication among people. Maybe I'm missing something, or maybe I just don't get it, but maybe someone out there can convince me otherwise. Share your thoughts!