The Truth About Blogging And Its Intended Purpose Before Monetization Made It All Wrong

 When blogging was emerging, I was doing an all out research on what it is. Will I fit in? Because in my life, as much as I wanted to become a writer as it is a childhood interest that became an emotional outlet and passion. I am ashamed to call myself one because the meaning doesn't fit. Blogging seems like an easy option for someone who loves to put life's experiences into litany of words. Now I have a name, I can call myself a blogger without turning my mirror around so I won't see myself. Even though I studied journalism briefly. This new label is a moderate. I can't call myself a journalist nor a writer. This invented 'Blogger or Vlogger' is a littlle gentle.

Blogging has its primary and profound purpose. That is documenting something and write about it for the world when the mainstream media cannot. It became very effective writing about a marginalized community and people where the journalists cannot reach them. At the offing, blogging is a tool to inform, to share and to expose what others have gone through when no one else from the mainstream media cares. A blogger becomes a voice to injustice, to the oppressed and those unlucky in life but which existence is relevant to the world.

In one instance, I read about a blogger who focused on violent demonstrations and other conflicts. He was in the middle of the action and would post what was happening around him. Later on, he still wanted more so he tried the live streaming platform. With it, he captured what was happening in real time sharing it to the world. He became so popular with his style of gathering stories that he was holding conferences and lectures to other media people and guess who? Known journalist in the mainstream media outlets who became out of touch where blogging is foreign to them.

Imagine listening to someone telling them how to write and capture the stories in his own style where Editor-in-Chief of a news or magazine is nowhere. Responsible bloggers became a one-man show in gathering news and facts way ahead of journalists whose writing is scrutinized by an editor to fit the media's format, policies and interests. Bloggers don't have that. They are independent, hungry for truth and unregulated. Blogging becomes handy with anyone doing it without knowing what it really means in the real sense. Your story can impact lives.

Now comes monetization and everyone call themselves bloggers with misleading and intriguing stories for stats in order to monetize. Politically, bloggers become a dangerous machinery of falsehoods and trolls. Politicians are using them to tweak the vulnerable, the feeble-minded who does not validate news and stories. Simply put, flooding society with disinformation.

For me, although I will be a hypocrite if I deny not wanting to monetize. i will not betray myself by being a part of deepfake and misinformations for money. There is a thin line of honestly sharing a story and of pouring your soul into a passionate  pursuit of love, advocacy and giving a clean voice for the muted ones.