It occurs to me that there is a master’s thesis just waiting to be written on blogger psychology. It’s a new enough phenomenon that it’s just begging to be studied by some idealistic and energetic grad student. And it’s probably important, since now it seems that blogs are the wave of the present in the area of how people get their information on world events/politics/religion/who’s pissed at whom/et cetera/ad nauseum.
So who are the bloggers? What makes them tick? What makes them post? What makes them so sure that people want to read what they have to write? And to all of the above, Why?
I find these to be fair questions–in fact, fair enough that I have asked myself these questions on numerous occasions. And to be sure, most of them get asked each time I look at the Blogger TM Dashboard. In part these questions keep me from posting more often.
And I know how few people actually stop by to read. I’m likewise ok with that.
My own observations over the past several years of blog reading and the last eight months or so of active blogging lead me to some observations that beg the question, “Why?” Below are some, in no particular order.
- Bloggers tend to be temperamental. They don’t have a lot of patience with others, at least with others with whom they disagree.
- Bloggers tend to be rather egocentric. This, I’d argue, is intrinsically related to the above observation. Blogging feeds egocentrism. Bloggers may develop followings of loyal readers who in turn fulfill a need on the part of the blogger.
- Bloggers are by and large anonymous. I’d submit that this is part of the attraction to this particular communication vehicle. Even when actual names are used, the distance enjoyed by the internet connection produces a synthetic anonymity, if you will.
- Blogger anonymity (real or synthetic) tends to limit inhibitions, thus fueling temperamental and egocentric behavior.
- Bloggers may show some signs of addiction when it comes to the act of blogging (e.g., feeling a compulsive need to check comments, leave comments, write about something else that peeved them, etc.)
- Bloggers seem to revel in their identity as a subculture, and in fact, in their many identities as micro-cultures within the blogger subculture.
I’m making observations. My questions are based largely on these broad observations. I’m also intrigued by the interactions between bloggers and commenters. Many of the same obsrvations may be made of commenters. Yet I’m still curious as to the why’s of it all.
In part I would further argue that the medium of the blog allows people to act according to the reptilian brain. And, as always, I could be partly or entirely wrong. Should you stumble upon this scribble I invite your comments.
Posted by OSC 
