Blogging, a life in the cheap seats
14 February 2023
Two things happened in the last few weeks that set me to thinking. One was an article about podcasting, the other was cleaning out my blog feed yesterday. I was moving blogs that hadn't been active in over a year into a folder I (hopefully I thought) called "quiet", & one of them had a link to "an archive of old blog posts from back when blogging was a thing." Ow. Seriously. That hurt.
The article about podcasting said there were 80% fewer new podcasts year on year now, and 13% fewer new episodes from existing podcasts. My own anecdotal experience backs that up, for a while there everybody seemed to be setting up a new podcast, now it seems to only be radio stations and people who are already famous in some way. Which is a shame.
A shame because the people born as they would see it to a certain station in life, are in their own eyes at least the ones who should be the players in life's little theatre; free to do & to say as they please, with the expectation of receiving honours & applause for their exertions.
The rest of us, we're meant to be their audience. We're expected to pay, and to clap appreciatively, & that's it. If we should ever have the temerity to do or to say anything else much we're promptly shushed, usually by the other poor schlubs sitting in the cheap seats right next to us. If we persist in disturbing the peace the ushers in police uniform will surely come to enforce it.
The web, all of it, the great messy glory of it, is an opportunity. An opportunity perhaps to burn the theatre down, & to do something better.
For a while there blogging & podcasting were a big part of that. I think podcasting's going to remain relevant to people, it'll just be different people making the podcasts, people who often already had a platform, but blogging… In November this blog will be ten years old. I'd like to still think blogging was a thing. I read blogs most days, and write here when I can, but it seems there might not be that many of us left dear reader.