Motivation
I just finished reading Exposed, the cover story in the New York Times Magazine this week by Emily Gould, of Gawker infamy.
Considering Ms. Gould writes for a living, I wasn’t impressed. For the most part I found her prose uninspired and self-indulgent. I suppose mediocrity is forgivable; what really bothered me was when she opined on the impetus of bloggers to blog.
I think most people who maintain blogs are doing it for some of the reasons I do: they like the idea that there’s a place where a record of their existence is kept- a house with an always-open door where people who are looking for you can check on you, compare notes with you, and tell you what they think of you.
The word “you” is used a lot in this paragraph, and clearly, by you, Ms. Gould means herself. Granted, I am not most people, but I have no interest in seeking public validation. Quite the opposite; Ms. Gould’s disingenuous exhibitionism renders me barely able to restrain myself from hurling the magazine with her smug face on it across the room. I would categorically not presume that my darkest secrets or potentially hurtful observations would (or should) make for noteworthy internet fodder.
I think most people blog to share their thoughts and observations. In the process, they will almost inevitably reveal themselves. Such self-revelation is organic and interesting. Ms. Gould’s twisted brand of calculated self-exposure is neither.