Tag: Instagram

The Blogging Landscape Now

I have noticed there are fewer places on the Internet for self-expression such as blogs. At one point and time, there were many places such as Multiply, Yahoo 360, Xanga, Typepad, Livejournal, and the like. Today it seems there are sites that are more dedicated to commerce and selling stuff. Even WordPress.com is going in that direction.

Blogger, one of the OG platforms has not been significantly updated in years. There are platforms such as Squarespace, Wix, and Weebly that have become more business-focused. Indeed the landscape is very different than it was in the 2000s and 2010s. For a deep dive into the history of blogging check out this article from Notre Dame of Maryland University.

Vlogging on YouTube, TikTok and even Instagram has become increasingly popular.

I don’t want to see Instagram and Facebook as the only places for sharing and community. Social media and networking are important. The more outlets the better. Let’s hope for more outlets in the future where old-school blogging still has a place on the web.

The Great Social Outage of October 2021

On October 4th there was a six-hour outage of Facebook and Instagram. Those six hours might as well have been 6 days because it cost them huge financial losses. It was a great day for Twitter with all the extra visitors they were getting.

Facebook and Instagram have become necessary evils for connection, communication, community, and commerce. I ask the question are there viable alternatives out there that people could migrate to? I haven’t found one that does all the things Facebook does which is to their credit in how they keep people engaged and using their platforms.

I do know people who have given it all up and are fine. They have no regrets and no fear of missing out. More power to them.

For six hours many people had to find other things to do. I think some of them enjoyed being liberated. Everyone, including me needs that sort of break from being on the ‘Book or the ‘Gram for a while.

The One Month Mark Without #Facebook

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One month ago I went on a Facebook fast for personal reasons. It’s been a great experience where I have cleared my head and focused on other areas of expression like my blog. I remain connected on Twitter and Instagram. I don’t regret leaving one bit, but I know a return is in sight sometime in the future. So far so good though and I’ll go back when I am good and ready. Until then, steady on as they say.