I have a blog, but I no longer consider myself a blogger - or rather, I don't like to admit to being a blogger.
'Blogging', it seems, has become a bit of a byword for 'blagging', and that's not OK. It's shocking how many people start a blog purely for the 'freebies' they think they'll be reeling in. I digress a bit - this isn't the main point of this post, so don't leave just yet - but working as a journalist in my day job, I've lost count of the number of PRs who tell me they dread working with bloggers due to the demanding and diva-ish reputation they've earned.
In 9 years of blogging, I've only ever had one 'freebie', back in the days when I didn't really understand how the PR/journo business worked - the blogger business wasn't even a thing back then. And I'm OK with that. It's not why I got into blogging. My blog isn't 'commercial' enough for PRs and that's OK too - I'd be worried if it was, although that's only something I've come to realise recently.
There are a few bloggers who I admire - particularly Emily Clarkson and Hannah Gale for their honest, witty and humorous writing, and for keeping it real. If we're talking vloggers, Louise Pentland has to be top of the list. I still miss updates from Gem Fatale, and I'm sure there were a few other old-school blogs that have fallen by the wayside. But bloggers like these are few and far between these days.
Scrolling through Instagram - because heaven forbid you call yourself a blogger in 2018 if you don't have plates spinning on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube as well as, y'know, your actual blog - you can spot an 'influencer' a mile off. Many (not all) have the same identikit photos; seated in a beautiful coffee shop, staring wistfully into the middle distance as they cup their skinny latte, or dressed up to the nines, against a psychedelic street art background, that same unnaturally wistful look on their faces.
I've shared my thoughts on Instagram before. Occasionally, someone stands out -- Hello Miss Jordan, for example. She has a unique style, and whether it's something you like or not, it's something she does very well. But again, influencers as talented as her are few and far between.
The irony is, the only people these 'influencers' seem to be influencing are each other. Because really, have you ever seen someone who didn't consider themselves an 'influencer' getting dressed up in a wholly impractical outfit to pose for hundreds of different photos in front of a pretty wall? No. A normal person might stumble across the wall, take a photo, and go about their day. Yet all it takes is one influencer with a decent-sized following to discover a new gram-worthy *eyeroll* cafe, and you can guarantee hundreds of bloggers and Instagrammers will have visited before the week is out. And that's before you stumble across all the comments reading "Where did you get that dress/table/mug? Need to get me one for my photos too". There's a fine line between being inspired by someone else's photos, and completely ripping them off.
Following the Instagram flock isn't something I'm completely innocent of myself - minus the hundreds of poses because that's just not me. I've visited those flowery cafes (for my day job, and out of curiosity), and I've taken those flatlay photos. Actually, I won't lie, I still have a weakness for a flatlay done well.
Why? Because I felt I *should* be doing it as a blogger. I've just unfollowed loads of the bloggers and blogging accounts on social media, because I realised I was being influenced by them, not to buy the latest skincare range or pumpkin spice latter drink, but about how my blog - my little space on the internet - should be.
For every blogger dredging in the likes on Instagram for taking a photo at the exact same spot where ten bloggers took a photo yesterday (there's a certain west London cafe that I'll keep nameless that has bloggers literally queuing up on a daily basis), there's another blogger working away quietly behind the scenes, writing decent, meaningful, good quality blog posts, and taking unique photos.
In writing this post, I've gone and done one of the things I hate most about the blogging 'industry' - blogging about blogging, but I just had to get it off my chest. Because that's what this blog is about - the things that thrill, bug, annoy and please me. You're welcome to stay for the ride.
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