Hey everyone! I'm here filling in for Holly while she's away. And I want to talk a minute about blogging, and the weirdness that comes with putting yourself on the internet.
Remember back like fifteen years ago when the internet first got popular and your mom had to tell you not to give out your home address to NIN420 because he might be a crazy person? No? Just me? (I did give him our P.O. box number and he totally sent me a mix tape). Who could have predicted back then how integrated our lives would have become with the screen in front of us now?
I love the Internet. I can talk to a person in Mexico and a friend in Denmark simultaneously. I am kind of a weirdo, yet I have friends all over the world who see life the same way I do. It really is amazing. There are countless amazing ideas, artists, and performers out there to see, and you can see them while sitting on your butt in your own house!
Lately though, the Internet has made me feel self-conscious in the weirdest way. You guys, I am NOT cool. I am the girl who goes to the library and reads FOR FUN. I love being alone. I love the dorkiest linguistics facts and think that learning is cool. I am medium-attractive, and still get zits even though I'm almost thirty years old. Buuuuut....according to Internet standards...I am cool.
My 'real life' job is "tattoo shop manager." So yeah, I get paid to hang out in a tattoo shop which is amazingly fun...but my job is really to be the nerd and the level head in the shop. I sterilize their equipment and order supplies. I clean the bathroom and am a cashier and a secretary. But somehow, that makes me Internet cool. And it's honestly starting to seep into my life. People are starting to come into the tattoo shop because of my blog! I've even had people come by just to say hello. It's so flattering but so weird. I just don't know if they like me because I'm actually an interesting person, or because my Internet persona is.
This stuff really makes me wonder...if I was anonymous and faceless...would I have this many readers? The Internet is so predictable sometimes. When I write about my knee tattoo I get twice as many hits as when I post about a real life person who is absolutely amazing. What the what, Internet? And don't get me started on pictures of my bulldog. Bulldogs are Internet gold, everyone. Want to get tumblr famous? Get a bulldog and a camera and go to town.
I honestly feel like I can write much better than I do on my own blog. But I don't because pictures of tattoos are easier and faster and more popular. I save it for ... for what? The eventual book my real life friends keep goading me to write? Will that ever happen? Maybe but I can't find a medium I am comfortable with. Microsoft Word does not inspire me. I need more dimension. This website inspires ten thousand times more creativity in me than the average website. (Warning: if you are a stationary-o-phile you will be sucked down the rabbit hole for hours if you click on that link.)
Do you think Internet fame is real? Are any of you tumblr famous? Are you eventually going to write a book? I'm interested to hear your opinions on this issue.
Internet fame is so real. I understand your claim that there's a difference between real life cool and Internet cool, but I would argue that "cool" and "famous" aren't the same thing.
ReplyDeleteInternet fame usually comes from people who find others who think like them; even though the Sh*t Girls Say guy is "famous," I would be much more likely to seek out someone who has a similar backstory/sense of humor/lifestyle to me. Does that even make any sense?
And I have tried to write a novel every November with NaNoWriMo. Thus far, nada.
I think I should have also said a little disclaimer, I'm not really internet famous, like I don't have ten thousand people watching my every move or anything, but there's still just this crazy amount of strangers who must have some interest in what I'm doing and I just wonder about their motives.
ReplyDeleteOK, why did you send me to that website? Now I'll never get any work done! ;-)
DeleteHAHAHAHA sorry. Or you're welcome.
DeleteHaha. It would be very strange if people were to show up at my desk at work and say, "Hey! I read your blog."
ReplyDeleteTotally not going to happen. So I don't know what it's like to be "Internet famous."
That being said, I never really wanted to be famous. I just wanted to be a writer. A well-paid writer. Still trying to sell that novel...
It never ceases to be awkward. I am totally flattered and stoked, of course, but it's always a real harsh reminder that internet people are real. hah
DeleteInternet fame is definitely real. Without the internet, there would no YouTube...& YouTube has made some of the oddest ducks celebrities. LOL!
ReplyDeleteYou should definitely write a book! People kept telling my dad the same thing after reading some of the stories he wrote...& now he's a self-published author with quite a few books + a following. He thought no one would buy his books, but boy was he wrong!
What kind of books does your dad write, Pocky? If it's sci-fi/fantasty, my husband is always looking for "up and coming" authors to check out.
DeleteI don't know about blog or tumblr famous but I did have a stranger recognize me from my twitter at the train station once, and I was so alarmed afterwards that I thought seriously about going underground, haha. I didn't, because that would have been overkill, but it was really weird and I don't know if I handled it well at all... he was asking me about the inane details in my life that twitter encourages you to share and and I didn't even know his name. I did feel flattered and cool and famous for a few minutes, but then I just felt strange, like I didn't deserve attention like that because I'm actually not that interesting and all I did to make that guy aware of my existence was post a bunch of 140 character comments on a microblog. But yeah, I think internet fame is definitely real but it has about a million more levels to it than "regular" fame.
ReplyDeleteWow, that was a pretty long comment, huh? I guess we just answered whether or not I'm going to write a book someday - here it is, in your comment section.
Now if you'll excuse me I have to go give all my money to that stationary site.
I hadn't even really thought about the "levels" of internet fame, but that is a fantastic point. I believe that I would like to be "famous," but when I think about what actual movie stars have to go through, I would just rather not.
DeleteAnd you are more than welcome to write the next War and Peace in my comments section—I would definitely read it!
Whoa that would scare me too!
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