I still blog after 20 years. Which is something of a rarity these days. Blogging is the internet equivalent of the “slow food” movement. In a time when social media is pressuring people to produce short form content, and AI generated glop has permeated everything, blogging to me feels like one of the last true content forms online.
In the slow food movement, there is a deep respect for the source and quality of ingredients. It actually started as a local protest in Italy over the introduction of fast and processed foods. In blogging, your “ingredients” are your thoughts, research, and personal experiences. It isn’t designed for immediate ingestion and quick dopamine hits. It’s more like an idea you’ve had simmering for awhile. Some posts take me ages to write. Ages to collect my thoughts on the matter into a coherent structure. Often, as I’m researching something I change my point of view.
Blogging is the antithesis of social media. Tiktok and Twitter are the “drive-thrus” of the digital world. They prioritize speed, volume, and profit above all else. Content that is often only relevant for a moment in the cultural zeitgeist. Their algorithms are designed to capture attention and hold it, but not to educate or illuminate.
A core tenet of Slow Food is conviviality—the idea that food is best enjoyed slowly and in the company of others to build community. While a blog isn’t really community building per se, it could be. I have 20 years of content here, and you can see how my thoughts on certain topics have changed and evolved. You are welcome to comment and participate. And some have. Most have not. I would like to believe that this format however fosters a deeper, more human connection than the fleeting, anonymous engagement of big-tech platforms. That a comment on a post is worth infinitely more than a “like”.
I don’t blog for clout, obviously. I don’t blog for fame. I guess I blog for myself. To remind myself where I have been and the journey and to remind myself, “not all who wander are lost.“