Thoughts on Blogging and other things nowadays

The online world has changed quite a lot over the past five years.

The current medium which is in demand for content is video.

In the past, this would have been difficult as internet speeds were slower and bandwidth was generally more expensive, but now many people think nothing of spending hours on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitch, and TikTok.

With the rise of the smartphone, the sheer amount of content (photos and videos) available online has increased exponentially - to the point that it becomes difficult to be noticed simply because your content gets flooded away. The successful ones seem to be able to differentiate themselves from the competition (and of course make good quality content) - this earns them good ad revenue.

I can't say I know enough to comment on the blogosphere but it seems clear that blogging is no longer as popular as it used to be - I guess people just don't really blog anymore. In its place is vlogging and "stories" - snippets of videos taken by people generally to illustrate their everyday lives.

Photography as a medium has also changed with the advent of the smartphone. Selfies are ubiquitious nowadays, and probably more photos are taken of the photographer now than at any other point in history. As an enthusiast photographer myself, I understand that a big part of the appeal of photography is in preserving memories and in portraying the world as you see it, however, this usually meant pointing the camera away from one's self, and not towards.

I have nothing against selfies and people who take selfies.

I just think that photography is a lot more than just selfies.

I also like hiding behind the camera, so I'm probably biased.

With the rise of the Internet comes the rise of factually inaccurate news - this has been shown to distort reality, and also in some cases, thwart justice. Media campaign wars are now waged in social media, with really successful outcomes.

The other thing that seems to have happened is crowdfunding for money - however there have been plenty of scam cases which have just taken the money and not delivered on the product / service.

I feel that the Internet hasn't changed people - it has just amplified everyone, so things that people say are said in a louder manner. The Internet also allows (ironically) for greater amplification of one's opinions within one's circle or bubble of influence.

Free speech seems to be a non-existent concept, as generally speech which disagrees with the current narrative is torn down and attacked relentlessly in the name of free speech. (This too is ironic)

Common sense is really a misnomer as it seems to be getting more and more difficult to come by as the years go by (or perhaps those without common sense are just shouting louder, drowning out the voices of others?)

The end result is that one's opinion online has to be carefully moderated to be in keeping with the current narrative underlying the times i.e. herd mentality; there exists a dearth of space in which productive debates and discussions are held, and people tend to believe what they feel is correct rather than what facts have proven to be correct.

But I digress.

There have been many great things about the past five years too technologically, and I am also reaping the benefits of cheaper faster Internet, better gadgets, and better software.

Now it's a matter of balancing life with all the commitments there are - work / study / family + God.

I shall end this post with a picture I took inside the Notre Dame a number of years ago (before the fires).

Have a good day =)