Is Blogging Just a Form of Narcissism?

How appropriate...
from someecards.com

Originally, I was going to blog about "the art of listening" -- how it seems as though I have a tendency to talk and talk and talk and forget that other people's stories might be more important and more helpful than simply telling my own. This is not to say that I am a terrible listener, but I will admit that my love for talking sometimes means that I can dominate a conversation. As I pondered my chatterbox tendencies and how I could share some insight into the world of a loquacious lady, I realized that my blog is a way of talking to people without necessarily giving them equal opportunity to participate in the conversation. Sure, you can comment on a post, but that is in response to my (severely) lengthy posts, rants and ramblings, which are the focal points of that conversation.

So that led me to this post's eponymous question: is blogging just a form of narcissism? Using my own blog as an example, it certainly seems that blogging can be a bit self-indulgent. Here is a medium through which I can share all of my personal anecdotes, insights and ideas -- however verbose or trivial those anecdotes, insights and ideas may be. I'm the primary story-teller and the only voice that ever appears on this blog -- a blog that began out of selfish necessity, a way to sort of demand engagement with the online community, where there may not have even been a demand for that type of engagement.

However regularly, I post and talk about myself and things I think are worthy of talking about and just hope that people out there will read my personal musings with piqued curiosity and inflated interest. Is this realistic? Does my blog warrant that sort of following or worth? Am I just another delusional blogger who thinks that her posts are important or make some sort of impact on society or (shudder) better than they actually are? Perhaps. But I wonder if, not to defer blame, this era of immediacy and social media are encouraging this sort of narcissism. 

After all, how many people do you know without a Facebook, Twitter or Instagram account? All of these mediums applaud egotism, in a way. I'd be lying if I said that receiving multiple re-Tweets or a certain number of "likes" on a Facebook picture elicited nothing more than apathetic acknowledgement on my part. Somehow, self-worth becomes predicated on followers, likes and re-pins. We are reaffirmed in purpose and self-importance by our peers' approval via online activity. A blog is just another extension of that, granting the illusion that we have an audience and that audience wants to hear about our every personal experience -- whether it is a recipe we just tried, an outfit we wore today or our thoughts on blogging as a form of narcissism (ha -- see what I did there).

It seems as though some of it is a bit necessary, though. In a time of economic uncertainty, we need to be our own biggest cheerleader in order to get a job. I can't think of a time where someone won a competition by advocating for their opponent and praising their skills over their own. Our tweets, Facebook profile, instagrams, etc. have become a way to market ourselves, and in order to market ourselves effectively and competitively, we inevitably fall prey to self-aggrandizement. Sure, you could initially join Facebook or Twitter to keep in touch with friends and family, but do you need to tweet about your sandwich or post photos of your cat's birthday party in order to do that? Or are you just assuming that your followers want to see these things? That you have followers that care? Only later to be reaffirmed that you should continue to post photos of your cat's celebrations because it keeps receiving likes from your multitude of followers. It seems as though one could get tied up in the delusion that these things are more important than they might actually be (although cat birthdays are important, people).

I digress (a little bit). Blogging could be considered just another forum for self-indulgent activity and re-affirmation. I sit down at my computer, write about something I think is important (whether it is a personal anecdote, an opinion/comment on society, etc) and post it with the assumption that it is significant enough to garner a following or audience. Isn't that narcissism at its finest? Assuming that my life and thoughts warrant sharing and online postings; that naturally people would be interested. Of course, I don't mean to sound so pessimistic -- after all, blogging is a great way to bring communities of people together and spread knowledge and stories. But at the same time, I can't help but play devil's advocate here. There needs to be a bit of self-awareness, especially on my part as a self-proclaimed "Chatty Cathy," as far as trying to facilitate a larger dialogue with my readers is concerned. Certainly, I could talk about myself for hours (and many posts) on end, but does that over-interest in myself simply stop at me? Is there a demand for what I'm saying? Or am I inflating my importance?

I hope that this will encourage you, my readers (all three of you?), to participate in a conversation with me. I started this blog as a way to share my own experiences, yes, but I also want to engage with others who have had similar experiences or have their own anecdotes to share that might shed some insight onto other facets of post-grad life (or just life in general, you know). I will shut up now.

Comment away! Let's all talk.