I recently read an extremely thought provoking post by Mehak Sagar Shahani from Peaches And Blush that was titled “Whatever Happened To The Blogging Scene In India?“. The article talked about how social media marketing has become imperative for the success of any blog and how the old school model of blogging that focused on pure content is slowly degrading. With today’s post, I take the discussion one step further by talking about how I feel that the power of the written word has diminished over time and how the good old art of blogging is dying a slow death as a result of the same.
Be honest to yourself, how many times have you skipped reading an article or a blog post simply because it was too long and wordy? I must confess that I am guilty of this as well. We seldom pay much heed to the fact that the writer has dedicated additional efforts for creating something more substantial, and simply skip reading the article or skim through it, blaming it on the lack of time. It is also the lack of time that makes us gravitate towards videos and audio books, that we can devote a percentage of our attention to while performing more important tasks, as opposed to focussing all our attention on a blog post that requires actual reading. Not that I am against videos or audio books, in fact, I appreciate and respect the hard work that goes into creating them. But what about those who do not have the skill for creating such content but are extremely talented at writing? Is it fair for them to suffer if they are not comfortable with other mediums of expression?
Another reason for the reduced audience of a blog is the sheer abundance of bloggers in the world today. Although this may seem contradictory to the title of this post, it actually isn’t. I refer to the new generation of bloggers who do not consider blogging as an art but as a money making machinery. They do not rely on creating unique and useful content but on producing a random mish mash of keywords that will attract search engines. Although making a clever use of SEO techniques and social media marketing is not a crime, blindly relying on these without backing them up with talent is (in my humble opinion). What I am trying to say is that what used to be a task as basic as typing down your thoughts and pressing the publish button now comes with a rather intimidating and disorienting formula for success (as depicted in the image below). Many talented writers and bloggers are able to master this formula but others get swallowed by it.
The art of blogging originated as a channel for the creative individuals to express themselves and to showcase their talents. Blogs soon became digital journals for some and online portfolios for others. Things escalated rapidly as bloggers discovered that they could actually generate some revenue with the help of advertisements and sponsored posts, but as YouTube and Instagram began to boom, the revenue generated by blogs started to dwindle. In fact, this problem is so deeply rooted in our habit to avoid reading as much as possible, that even the carefully worded descriptions beneath the Instagram images often go unnoticed.
That being said, I consider myself a writer before anything else, and will, therefore, continue to pen down my thoughts and send them floating in the sea of digital media. Those of you who miraculously survived till the end of this post (a BIG thank you to you), do comment below to let me know that there are still many who enjoy reading the written word!
Featured Image Source: https://pixabay.com/en/workspace-place-of-work-work-766045/
Thought provoking article. I completely agree with you. Its not anybody’s fault. Its just the way things are ‘progressing’
True that, but I wish that the newer forms of media as well as the traditional ones are able to co-exist!
Yes dear I wish that too. Because if I talk about myself, I am much more comfortable with writing than be in front of a camera😊
Me too 🙂
☺
Very well-written post and a lot of valid points. Yes I am guilty of skipping posts that are too lengthy. But the point is, if the attention span of the readers has reduced, we as bloggers need to understand it, respect it and make a content that suits their needs as well. Most of my posts especially the recent ones, are just “2-3 minutes read”. I see to it that if I have a topic/content that does not fit into the “2-3 mins read” category I split it into two parts. I never write lengthy articles unless utmost necessary.
Yes, I have come across Bloggers who have no original content. But at times, I really wonder what is an original content? Because at anytime, the topic one is writing about has already been written about! Originality is only about the way it is presented and re-written! 🙂
Thanks Reema! I agree with your point about creating shorter posts but the attention span of readers seems to be getting shorter and shorter with time. Also, this may chew upon the creative freedom of the blogger.
Also, in reference to your thoughts on original content, of course, a lot of us write on similar topics but the thoughts should be are own, not a tweaked version of someone else’s article, which is what some content writers tend to depend on.
Very aptly said!
Interesting post. One could argue that blogging was never really a true platform for writing, but rather a place to express one’s opinions, a type of Facebook for readers. I am an author and I still mostly use the blog to express my opinion, having found that fiction is mostly wasted on the platform.
That is an interesting take on the subject Robert. I agree that fiction has never performed well in the world of blogging. However, even blogs on topics such as fashion and lifestyle, which I know for a fact did well a few years ago, are generating less revenue and traffic these days.
Unless the article is in list format or is a one minute read 😤 So sad.
True that 🙁
I have set a limit of 1000 words on my posts now because I am finding longer posts aren’t getting read. I’ve been hearing that over a lot of social platforms, interaction is declining but I continue to do both Instagram and my blog because I love it. This is a thought provoking post and I hope blogging doesn’t disappear altogether.
I hope so too!
Hi Mrinalini, thanks so much for this post – I think you make a number of important points – well done for drawing attention to this. I still blog for the sheer joy of writing and communicating with others and enjoy reading a lot of blogs with a similar outlook – and long may this continue. But I think some of your readers make valid points about a shifting focus in the world of blogging. We’ll just have to stick to our principles! 🙂 xx
Thanks a lot for your lovely comment! Yes, each individual works on their own principles 🙂
Very well written mrinalini….I totally agree we neva take a minute to read an article completely… I’m guilty for doing the same….n yes…….! Most People consider blogging as money making machine.. Very few consider it as a passion… As far as content is concerned writer shld have an identity as a persons work reflect his / her individuality…..
Very true! If only everybody would understand this!
Yeah….it’s kinda tricky….we can’t blame people…. Content marketing being current trend… It’s imprinted so hard in minds that its purely business and anyone can become a blogger…. I’m not discouraging anyone …. But there shld be originality in ur words…
That was a great read and i definitely agree with you. I, too tend to skip posts that are too lengthy but honestly i love reading and if it’s a post that is written well and is interesting i will most probably read it all! I definitely agree that due to instagram and other social medias, the art of blogging has declined but i still believe there is a place for us bloggers, as there are still many people who enjoy reading!
Thanks for the lovely comment! I too hope that bloggers are able to find a place for themselves in the world of digital media!
I love reading and going through blog post. If i’m looking for reviews I still prefer to go for blogs over any instagram or video review…you are right about changed perspective of new-bee bloggers that they have this idea of blogging for making money and not because it is something they enjoy or love..some do it only for money and some do it only for free products… I confess that I have felt so demotivated due to this and even thought about stop blogging and focus more on my youtube chaannel or insta feed but then I dismiss the idea because I started to blog because I love it, I love sharing honest information and opinion about products I have used, in hope that there is still someone like me who would look for a written honest review of a product rather than trusting the paid raves… I write my mind out always and this is what happens, long monologue 😀
It is good to share all your thoughts 🙂 Do keep on writing! Hopefully the community of readers who still enjoy blog posts will continue to thrive 🙂
Very true and very inspiring(atleast for me). I think you have read few of my posts (and I read all of yours 😀 ) Please let me know if there is anywhere I can improve. I am still in learning process. I wanted to write blogs since long(like before 5-6 years) but couldn’t start due to some reasons and started just few months back. I really like the way you put everything. You are truly an inspiration for me. keep shining Mrinalini (I like your name,reminds me of bengali literatures 😀 )
Thank you so much for such an encouraging post! I have read a few of your post and will make sure to read more 🙂 I am a huge fan of Bengali literature too, and am lucky that my parents chose such an appropriate name for me 😀
<3 <3
Great post! I agree that most people seem to skim through blog posts. I personally prefer reading blogs over watching YouTube, for example. I feel like I can get the information I need faster, weirdly enough. I think watching videos or listening to podcasts is great for multi tasking though.
Even I feel that I can get information faster from blogs! Good to know that someone else feels the same way too 🙂
Don’t worry, I still enjoy reading the written word! Thank you for writing about this topic. I have been thinking of the same points you made lately and I’m happy to find others who think similarly! God bless! 🙂
That is so sweet of you! Thanks 🙂
Interesting!!check out my blog too
Thanks! Will do 🙂
Very well pointed out Mrinalini…keep up the good work
Thanks Bhavana!
Attraction of written word will be always there. When I write I have a great feeling, and get a good night’s sleep.
That is good to know because I can never stop writing 🙂
It is a blessing of God that you have love for words, and its music.
I’ve noticed that shorter posts or visual posts tend to get more views, but a well written piece will always find an audience. I’ve spent days working on posts that end up being 10 or more pages long (if printed out), and few people will bother to read them… But that’s okay. I write because I love to write (and draw because I love to draw.) If someone else finds it and enjoys it, great! If not, oh well. I’m not going to stop either way. (And yes, if I lose interest before I finish reading a post, I move on. If it’s brilliant, I’ll read to the end no matter how long it is.)
I love your approach to the entire subject 🙂 Keep writing and reading 🙂
This really made me stop and think. I started my blog as a transitional part of my personal transformation. To share my thoughts and my experiences with others in the hopes that someone would find something useful within my words that could also help them. I plan to stick around, and learn as much as I can about the blogging process as a whole,as I continually search for any and all avenues possible to help others…
Keep up the great work,
Sharon
Thank you so much for your lovely comment 🙂
<3.
Great post. My name is Linda and I just created my blog today. I read a few hundred books a year since the age of 12. In recent years I have been working on improving my writing skills. Blogging is for me about expressing myself in writing, responding to others who have put thought into their writing and learning new ideas. Reading and writing have always been part of my life, although unfortunately not the daily activity that I would prefer. Keep writing posts like this…Thanks.
Thanks a lot for your lovely comment and good luck with your new blog! Even I wish that I could read and write on a daily basis 🙂