An explanation as to why we all do this whole blog-MySpace-Twitter-Facebook thing for the executive blogger, the media-minded organisation, and the weekend twitterer.

There is some serious hate going out to those who submit blog posts apologising for blogging.  Apparently my New Year’s post is enough to cement me out of Jessica’s Cool category and into the Fool classification .  Jessica is not alone in her rant, taking a pages from fellow bloggers here, here, here, here, and (wait for it…) here.  There’s even a blog dedicated to blogging apologies.

Yet as I read these posts and comments from the haters, I note many of those commenting follow their rant with admissions of their own prior apologies for tardy postings.  Why does the blogosphere make our feelings of redemption feel so “wrong”?  While I am hesitant to question the authority of so many social media experts, studies in social science may shed light on this paradox.

Why we post

I begin with the question as to why we all blog in the first place (and by blogging I expand the definition to any social media-ish behaviour).  In a study of 751 student bloggers, it was found that “self-disclosure of bloggers significantly and directly affects a blogger’s perception of social integration, bonding social capital, and bridge social capital, which in turn promote bloggers’ subjective well being”.  In a study of new MySpace bloggers, bloggers experience a significant increase in their social integration, reliable alliance, and friendship satisfaction in comparison to nonbloggers.  It is no surprise then that in a 2005 study, 50% of bloggers admitted to using blogging as a form of self therapy.

By posting to the likes of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and blogs, we are addressing a deep need for community and connection that is getting more difficult to satisfy.  Our society is fragmented, with the number of connections with the work, family and personal spheres of our lives and the diversity of those connections increasing exponentially.  It is becoming difficult to develop community in all these areas of our lives.  To develop community, we must establish a consistent identity and maintain regular communication with each of these connections, not to mention if there is a desire to have some sort of influence of leadership within these connections.

The studies show that our use of social media is an attempt to remedy this fragmentation, feeling better about ourselves through the increased social engagement.  Yet I see two factors working against these findings:  

1. Social media tends to result in a lack of authenticity
   Do I post from a position of who I am, or is it based on who I feel you want me to be?  When we post, we consider the reader’s perspective.  Usually, this is after the fact based on reply comments or measuring the number of people who read our ramblings.  However, the perceived market response can work its way back to where we adjust what we post based on what you might thing.  We are then no longer authentic, promoting insecurity and degrading the very sense of well-being that blogging is purported to achieve. 
2. The pressures of progress
   Progress is primary in the commercial culture in which we operate.  Everything is driving us towards growth and increase.  If you have a blog, the unspoken goal becomes more readers.  If you post on Facebook, convention says we must have more friends.  Twitter mandates high follower counts.  Our activities are no longer about the activities themselves, but are for an abstract outcome separate from the activity itself.  Posting becomes about readership rather than expression.

Be real

To take full advantage of the therapeutic and creative benefits of social media towards establishing community, I recommend the following:

1. Know who you are
   Social media tends to broadcast your identity across all spheres of your life.  Try to establish a baseline of who this is before engaging in social media.  A good starting point is to gain an understanding () of your personality, strengths and vision for the individual, or brand, culture and values for the organisation. If you don’t, be prepared for the social media process to define your identity for you.   
2. Know what you need to say
   Apart from the need for community, are you trying to achieve other objectives through your posts?  If you don’t know why you are posting when you post, your audience won’t know when they are reading it.  And please, think before you post.  I see some YouTube clips from high schoolers and want to weep, as that one post may well limit their career choices.
3. Say it the best way you know how
   Writing is an art form and a skill that can be developed, like painting or singing.  If you are going to do something, do it well.  Find your style and develop it through practice.  At a minimum, spell-check.  Again, becoming exceptional should be a personal challenge rather than a directive from the pressures of perceived readers. 

As for me, I am the production manager for one of Australia’s leading digital agencies.  I am a post-graduate student of the social sciences.   I am a father, and husband, coach and friend.  I share out of the thoughts that come from these identities, which some may find of interest.  I do this the best I know how and am always looking to improve.  Above all, I strive to be authentic, which means I just might occasionally apologise for not blogging.

References:
Can Blogging Enhance Subjective Well-Being, Through Self-Disclosure? (2008,  Hsiu-Chia Ko, Ph.D. and Feng-Yang Kuo, Ph.D.)

Blogging as a Social Tool: A Psychosocial Examination of the Effects of Blogging (2008, James R. Baker, M.Psych. and Susan M. Moore, Ph.D.)