The other night I found myself researching some of the OG Bloggers that I use to follow when I first got into blogging. Back in 2010/2011, when blogging was still fairly new but there were a few that stood out, the fashion, writing and just overall content was so…different. And GOOD. Some of the girls had ridiculously good style (do y’all remember Kelly Framel of The Glamourai? Or Karla Deras of Karla’s Closet?), and others, while not necessarily super style stars, their fashion and lifestyle content was relatable and so helpful. I would spend at least an hour a day perusing their blogs, saving outfits and taking notes, etc. It was a time where inspiration was everywhere.
Don’t get me wrong, I have my fair share of IG and Pinterest screenshots in my phone now, but… it just doesn’t hit the same, you know? Something is missing. I really do miss reading personal blogs and how inspiring they were. I know what the issue is (monetization has made so many follow the same type of playbook and create almost identical content in the hopes that someone uses their affiliate links or get brand deals), and while I GET IT, I am also searching for a little bit more.
I hate that so much of the content that gets put out now is so homogenous and interchangeable. Gone are the days of the creative street style shoots- so many have resigned to getting an IKEA “cloffice” and they just film in their home. I miss seeing the photos of people OUTSIDE, and not just grabbing a latte. That’s not to say that some don’t still do it, but if you use social media at all, it is overwhelmingly the same type of content over and over again. Blog monetization really is a gift and a curse. I am thankful for it because it has given me another stream of income, but it’s also heavily affected the creativity in this industry in so many ways.
But, there is a glimmer of light starting to shine at the end of this tunnel.
During my search, I found that some of the OGs completely abandoned their blogs for social media only (which I personally think is insane because girl, that’s passive income from ad sense!!), but I’m happy to see that some have started to shift to Substack, which is becoming really popular. I like that they’re getting back to creating long form content, even if it’s within this “lite” capacity, and my hope is that they eventually bring back their actual blogs on their own platforms as well. I have an account but I haven’t fully delved into it yet. I miss the ease of being able to jump around to other blog posts within a site after reading one and it’s not as simple with this. While Substack isn’t a social media platform, it’s still one that you don’t own, so I would hate for all of that content to be lost one day.
Anyhoo, social media a great tool and still a good source for inspiration, but I’m still in search of…something more. Do you ever feel the same way?
Who are you following? Are you reading blogs? Where do you find inspiration?
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