Atharv Dua Week #13 -- The Blog about Blogs
Why do we blog? Is it because of the indispensable flow of 5 writing points per week? That should definitely be a factor, but is that the only reason? The assignment itself says that blogging is meant to encourage us to “own our writing” and to encourage “authenticity.” If you own something, you by definition don’t just disown it the minute it’s published: it’s still yours.
Blogging is kind of like a public journal that you own. From quarter one, we’ve continuously compiled a colossal collection of blogs, not just our own but those of our peers too. All of the thoughts you put in these blogs are being stored on Blogger (at least up to a certain point in time) and even on Google Docs for you to keep for as long as you’d like. Through our blogging cohorts, we are recording younger versions of our collective selves along with a small piece of our identity for our future selves to look back at.
It’s like a photo: it’s a snapshot of your identity at this specific moment in time, which we’ve taken 12 times over the course of a semester and a half. Everyone has obviously been continuously evolving since the first blog, not just in identity as I mentioned above but also in writing styles and the exploration of the different topics that we choose to write about.
I think it’s interesting to see said progression, and reveals something about what was going on in our own lives at the time: for example, I wrote a blog about AI in college essays at some point at the start of the year because I was seriously thinking about my own at the time. I wrote a couple of blogs on politics, which usually followed major political events in the US (or worldwide), and I think they were even influenced by my history class at one point. Even this blog could potentially be about…blogs themselves because I perchance ran out of ideas (who knows:).
Will we reflect on these blogs once we’re older and think about our younger selves and the things that seemed so important to us at the time? The “shaping influences” that had an effect on our lives? Maybe, once we potentially become persons of American significance ourselves, these blogs could be used as evidence that future AP Lang generations use in their research papers. In any case, these blogs serve as an exhibition of our growth and development over this year, and I think it’s an excellent way of storing our memories in our own public journal.
The way that you view these blogs is new and refreshing. I'll admit, I never really thought about these blogs being snapshots of our identity at the certain moment in time as you mention. However, now that I think about it, you're absolutely right. Your post encouraged me to look through my past blogs, and I notice that I've always chosen to write about something that I enjoyed writing about or that I was passionate about. From Formula 1 and banned books, to Tamil movies and my weird interest in the paranormal, the topics I chose to write about were definitely ones that somehow had an impact on my life. For example, with my growing interest in motorsports, I learned more about myself: after years of not knowing what I wanted to pursue in college, I decided that I wanted a job in the field of sports business, preferably traveling around the world, just like many racing teams. As for banned books, I grew up as a kids that depended on books for company, and my heart would break if there was another kid like me who could not have that same opportunity or experience. In the past couple years, I've become an avid movie watcher who aspires to watch all types of movies and experience the emotions and worlds that they offer. Yet, Tamil movies will always be some of the best movies of my childhood, among other masterpieces like Cars and Big Hero 6. I've always had an interest in the paranormal, and watching videos about it introduced me to a world of places that I would love to visit, not only to learn about their histories but to see if I can actually spot a ghost or two. I agree that the topics of these blogs can be considered "shaping influences" in out lives, especially because from those topics, I've learned more about myself and what I want to do in the future.
ReplyDeleteHi Atharv! Yes!! I’ve definitely also noticed how much blogging personally helps me improve as a writer because they serve as a kind of personal diary where you can really talk about anything that’s on your mind whether that would be in your personal life or in the real world. To be honest, I initially viewed these blogs as a small creative writing assignment, but I definitely learned that they go way past that. By blog number 3, I found myself looking forward to writing my next blog and the blog after that. There is something comforting about discussing topics without feeling pressured by a prompt or rubric, which is usually what most students are used to because many do not write outside of school. You can just be… you. It definitely feels like a mix between a conversation and a diary entry. That’s why having a diary at a young age really helped me grow as a person, because not only does it document my younger self that I can look back on, it’s a wonderful moment for self-reflection. Now that I think about it, I greatly relate to the people who talk to themselves, especially if it is just self-reassurance, but I don’t understand why people get teased for it. It’s going be wonderful looking back on these blogs in the future. For me, I know I really cringe when I look back on my diary entries from pre-quarantine, because the way I talked and the slang I used was definitely… interesting.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this insightful blog, Atharv!
Hi Atharv! I really like the analogy you begin with about how blogging is like a “public journal.” It sums up the idea of blogging in a few concrete words and helps emphasize the most important part of blogging: the publicity and feedback provided. Hearing what others think about our blog helps provide new perspectives to incorporate in the future and enable us to reflect on our writing choices and personal beliefs. When you mention how “we are recording younger versions” of us, it reminds me of the selfie prompt we worked on in class. I personally had to write about this topic for my Rhetorical Analysis essay and I focused on how selfies are snapshots of ourselves in picture representation. I feel blogs are the exact same way but are a testament to our writing skills. These blogs have been instrumental in my “growth and development.” Writing these blogs have helped me identify a particular style of writing that I personally enjoy. You can physically see the differences that we each individually tried for the last three quarters. The techniques that we chose to include or exclude. The amount of emotion we keep. In my opinion, these blogs are the most personal pieces we wrote and the consistent routine makes it even more everlasting. Thanks for this introspective blog! However, I am still waiting to see an Atharv Dua autobiography filled with these blogs!
ReplyDeleteAtharv, this post really reminds me of the selfie prompt some of us (including AP Lang students last year) wrote an argument essay on. While selfies are the visual medium of “snapshots” into our memories, blog posts are the literary version. Like a diary or journal entry, they capture a sentiment we possess at a certain point in time and immortalize it, allowing us to view and reflect on it later on, when we’ve gained new experiences that give us more perspective. What selfies and blog posts have in common that separates them from something like a diary or journal, however, is their public nature. I concede that selfies can be taken to be kept privately, but many times, they’re posted on social media or shared in some other way. The same thing applies to blog posts; although people can keep private blogs (which are basically just online journals), blogs primarily exist for people to periodically share their inner musings with others online. Meanwhile, diaries and journals are uniquely personal. They’re meant purely for their creator; in fact, many diaries you can purchase come with a lock and key to ensure that your writings are kept secret. When considering the public nature of selfies and blogs, it’s important to consider the effect of a secondary audience on the content itself. While a diary entry is more likely to contain the messy, gritty, and non-pleasing aspects of its writer, selfies and blogs are carefully curated with a certain audience in mind. People make sure their hair is well done and face looks decent in selfies, and that their blog posts portray a certain image of themselves as well put together, creative, morally sound, etc. depending on what they write about. While I’m not slandering blog posts or selfies, I do think it’s important to have a physical avenue of self reflection that doesn’t involve performing for a third party. That way, you can truly be honest with yourself and see your genuine evolution and growth over time.
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