blogging integrity
Here I am, sitting in the sweetest chai lounge, thinking about blogging and integrity (as one does). I met with a new friend earlier this week (yay new friends!), who is also familiar with the blogging world. We briefly chatted about the frustration and disappointment felt when a beloved blogger or Instagrammer you follow seems to only post about their sponsors. Of course, they might do this in a creative or subtle way, but it can nonetheless be misleading. This conversation has since got me thinking about transparency and writing- whether they can walk in tandem, whether their union is achievable.
I guess a part of it is what we call the 'reader-writer contract', wherein the reader suspends his or her reality and fully follows the logic of the author (kind of like the suspension of disbelief). When we get invested in a blog, there is an implicit expectation that its writer will be transparent and honest with us. We trust that their lives and thoughts described online mirror those they have in the non-virtual world. When I read a blog post in which the author shares a part of their lives with fervor or vulnerability, I believe them. However, if I scroll to the bottom of the page to find a product endorsement, there can be a bit of a sense of letdown.
I confess- I sometimes get cynical as a reader and wonder if the entire dialogue was sincere, or whether the writer was approached by a company and subsequently constructed a reality which would sell the product. It is especially frustrating when the product seems unrelated or incompatible to the post or the person in question.
Of course, all of this is a total moral judgment. I am no position to determine whether a blogger has integrity or not. And please don't misunderstand me- I am not firmly against advertising on blogs. When I started off this blogging thing, I day-dreamed about the possibility of becoming a full-time blogger one day- ha! In many ways, I love that social media has become a space to grant visibility to small businesses, startups and social causes. I love that gifted writers can use paid promotion to invest more time in their blogs or provide for themselves and their families. I have fallen in love with many local businesses and a diversity of products through the web myself! Heck, I am considering copywriting as a potential career choice- so do not think I oppose the strategic use of words for mobilization or marketing.
I guess what I am lamenting is the loss of trust that comes with major shifts in certain blogs. Virtual spaces that were once a source of inspiration to me, where the love for the craft of writing was so tangible, have become (in my eyes) spaces that seem downright spammy with sponsored posts taking over. I am saddened that platforms providing artists the opportunity to write or share photography are being reformulated as ways to pursue popularity and capital. Frankly, I didn't realize until lately that the practice of buying followers was so rampant. Yikes!
Having a blog and social media accounts myself, I want to make sure I clearly define the parameters I will write within. I am nowhere close having a blog with sponsored posts, but lacking integrity and transparency can still be a temptation, namely in regards to the topics I write about. Once in the blogging world, you find there are various 'strategies' which can increase a blog's visibility and readership. The truth is, I'm coming to the point where I just want to write. If that attracts few, that's okay. If that attracts many, that's great too.
This all made me think of Anne Lamott's wise words about publication, and the false hope so many writers have about getting published (dare I say similar to the relation many bloggers have with sponsors?):
"[...] I still encourage anyone who feels at all compelled to write to do so. I just try to warn people who hope to get published that publication is not all that it is cracked up to be. But writing is. Writing has so much to give, so much to teach, so many surprises. That thing you had to force yourself to do- the actual act of writing- turns out to be the best part. It's like discovering that while you thought you needed the tea ceremony for the caffeine, what you really needed was the tea ceremony. The act of writing turns out to be its own reward."
Today, find me celebrating this beautiful and mysterious gift that is writing. I am committed to pursuing integrity in this space, no matter what it becomes, always sharing what is on my heart with you faithful readers.
I guess a part of it is what we call the 'reader-writer contract', wherein the reader suspends his or her reality and fully follows the logic of the author (kind of like the suspension of disbelief). When we get invested in a blog, there is an implicit expectation that its writer will be transparent and honest with us. We trust that their lives and thoughts described online mirror those they have in the non-virtual world. When I read a blog post in which the author shares a part of their lives with fervor or vulnerability, I believe them. However, if I scroll to the bottom of the page to find a product endorsement, there can be a bit of a sense of letdown.
I confess- I sometimes get cynical as a reader and wonder if the entire dialogue was sincere, or whether the writer was approached by a company and subsequently constructed a reality which would sell the product. It is especially frustrating when the product seems unrelated or incompatible to the post or the person in question.
Of course, all of this is a total moral judgment. I am no position to determine whether a blogger has integrity or not. And please don't misunderstand me- I am not firmly against advertising on blogs. When I started off this blogging thing, I day-dreamed about the possibility of becoming a full-time blogger one day- ha! In many ways, I love that social media has become a space to grant visibility to small businesses, startups and social causes. I love that gifted writers can use paid promotion to invest more time in their blogs or provide for themselves and their families. I have fallen in love with many local businesses and a diversity of products through the web myself! Heck, I am considering copywriting as a potential career choice- so do not think I oppose the strategic use of words for mobilization or marketing.
I guess what I am lamenting is the loss of trust that comes with major shifts in certain blogs. Virtual spaces that were once a source of inspiration to me, where the love for the craft of writing was so tangible, have become (in my eyes) spaces that seem downright spammy with sponsored posts taking over. I am saddened that platforms providing artists the opportunity to write or share photography are being reformulated as ways to pursue popularity and capital. Frankly, I didn't realize until lately that the practice of buying followers was so rampant. Yikes!
Having a blog and social media accounts myself, I want to make sure I clearly define the parameters I will write within. I am nowhere close having a blog with sponsored posts, but lacking integrity and transparency can still be a temptation, namely in regards to the topics I write about. Once in the blogging world, you find there are various 'strategies' which can increase a blog's visibility and readership. The truth is, I'm coming to the point where I just want to write. If that attracts few, that's okay. If that attracts many, that's great too.
This all made me think of Anne Lamott's wise words about publication, and the false hope so many writers have about getting published (dare I say similar to the relation many bloggers have with sponsors?):
"[...] I still encourage anyone who feels at all compelled to write to do so. I just try to warn people who hope to get published that publication is not all that it is cracked up to be. But writing is. Writing has so much to give, so much to teach, so many surprises. That thing you had to force yourself to do- the actual act of writing- turns out to be the best part. It's like discovering that while you thought you needed the tea ceremony for the caffeine, what you really needed was the tea ceremony. The act of writing turns out to be its own reward."
Today, find me celebrating this beautiful and mysterious gift that is writing. I am committed to pursuing integrity in this space, no matter what it becomes, always sharing what is on my heart with you faithful readers.
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