I’m wondering if I can do anything to keep myself interested in writing in 2025. About four and a half years ago, I resolved to start a blog and post on it every day for a year. I did far better than that until I trailed off. In 2023, I would post about half the days of a month, and in this past year, only 5 or 6 days (leaving out August entirely). I just didn’t have the motivation. At least in 2023, I was reading Pulitzers and telling you about them (wow, it’s been a year already?). I tried in 2024, but nothing stuck.
Here’s to hoping I do better in 2025. I can’t say that I’ll write every day because I missed the first already, but I’ll try. There really is a lot to say, it’s just that nothing of it motivates me to put in the effort.
I did have an interesting couple of weeks here lately. Family visiting from out of town. I don’t usually say much during those times because I’m busy loving life as a grandpa. And I’m not going to be posting a whole lot about the little ones out of a bit of a revulsion with people that are overly aggressive in plastering their sweet little children’s faces all over the internet. I don’t necessarily fault the parents – I mean, they most certainly think they’ve got a real jewel that has to be shared with the world. It’s just that I think social media is poisonous, so why put your kids up there for everyone who uses it to see? Let them live simpler lives. Let them grow up normal (whatever that is these days).
And speaking of social media, I’ve had thoughts lately. I’ve often wondered if it’s worth it, really. I get a lot from the on-line world, but does it even matter? I remember the days of not having access to an enormous trove of information, and we were just fine with it back then. We certainly weren’t ignorant. I think that it’s more that our lives revolved around our immediate environments, and there certainly can’t be anything wrong with that. Do you want to fight injustice halfway around the world? I won’t stop you. But you can actually do a whole lot more locally. Is that information from halfway around the world valuable? Maybe. But what can you do? Give a bit of money? I won’t impugn your motives, but really, what about the guy down the street? I’ve always hated the phrase, “that’s just not who we are,” because you know what? It’s exactly who we are. It’s what we’ve always been, but so many of us like to cover it up with our own feel-good talk.
My most recent epiphany about social media came as I pondered the “echo chamber” nature of it all. I’m sure I’ve railed on about how the algorithms of each site round us up into little corrals of like-minded people, limiting our exposure to alternative views (or even worse, digging us deeper into a world more dangerous). I was brought to an observation though about the social media echo chamber by the (once again) inaccurate polling that was flying about during the recent presidential campaign. I’ve never been “polled” before, and I’ve never known anyone who was, but I would think the more independent-minded of us might be inclined to treat pollsters like they do telemarketers – don’t answer.
You would think then that the polls would be skewed because of the people who are inclined to answer. They very well may go one way or the other because of the type of person it takes to actually answer a call from an unknown number and further let them know what they really think. Pollsters are missing out entirely on those who would tell them to shut up and mind their own business – a rather large demographic if you ask me.
So where am I going with this? Well, maybe the same thing works with social media. What you see on social media is skewed by the fact that you’re the kind of person who would rely on social media for news and entertainment. But what about the person who would rather just be left alone. I heard yesterday of an old friend who zeroed-out his former social media presence some years ago. Why? Well, when you’re looking for a job, it’s just a whole lot easier no having to deal with anyone judging you by what you’ve written on line. Sound thinking there. Disclaimer: I myself am not much of one to heed such advice – I once gave the link to my blog to AI and asked what it thought of me and it gave me a pretty good rundown on myself. Still, I’d obviously rather have the pleasure of disciplined writing than worry about prospective employers…especially at my age.
The on-line world hasn’t ruined us to tell you the truth. It’s just made us something different. Is it good or bad? Hard to tell. I’m one to say it’s bad – very bad. But it’s given me a place to put down my thoughts too. I just lack the courage (or, more likely, desire) to be so ridiculous in my writing as to make it pay (and certainly talent, but I don’t think it takes a whole lot of talent to be a bloviating hack who’ll say anything for clicks ($)). Maybe we’ll see what comes of it all this year.
