Personal Blogging, Documentary, and History Distinctions
There can be a little confusion about terms when it comes to blogging. For example, while almost anything you will do will be personal blogging, unless you are blogging for a business, the blogging itself may be in several different forms, of which documentary and history are two aspects.
As a rule, when it comes to personal blogging, "documentary" is goint to be the default genre. There are plenty of blogs that serve other functions, of course, but many, if not most, blogs are primarily catalogues of the life experiences, or opinions (which are generally born of experiences) of their author. Although there are quite a few blogs that focus on arts, collecting poetry and other forms of creative writing for example, or other subjects, the vast majority of personal blogs are in some sense of the word, documentaries.
For most of us over the years, the act, or art, of making a documentary was meant to be an objective act of reporting. The filmmaker reported on the sights and sounds that the filmmaker, writer, or photographer encountered.
However, in contemporary times there has been the growth of a movement towards embracing the subjectivity inherent in the documentary form. This means that modern documentaries often reflect the distinctive voice and sensibility of their creator, and the fact that today's documentaries often revolve around personality blurs the lines between documentary and memoir.
A great deal of this change can probably be laid at the doorstep of the Internet, and the explosion of devices, such as mobile phones, software, and other technologies. They all combine to create a vast number of bloggers, i.e. reporters, where previously only the professionals could "document" or "report".
Blogs rest somewhere between the two genres, muddying the distinctions even further. Personal blogging, documentary, and memoir (history) are now irrevocably intertwined, for better or for worse.
Although very few of today's bloggers think of themselves as "making documentaries" in any formal sense or context, every time somebody sits down in front of a computer and types up a record of their day, they are documenting their own historical moment.
The things that we take for granted about our daily lives, such as the way that we use specific modes of transportation, or the kinds of products that we buy, often seem quite fascinating to people who live in circumstances different from ours. It is this kind of fascination that is at the heart of many documentary projects...and even very successful reality shows. A few years ago, my wife and I were team over-the-road, longhaul truck drivers, and people were fascinated by many of the events we had experienced. We had gone where they had not gone, and done what they had not done...and many would not have dared to!
What it comes down to is not the fact that bloggers write documentary, but that when people think about blogging, "documentary" is not very likely to be the first adjective that crosses their minds, but a few decades down the road it is very likely that todays blogs will be seen primarily as very subjective documentaries of our era. The people of tomorrow will almost certainly look to the blogs of today for insight into our historical moment.
When it comes to blogging, writing a documentary may not be the aim of most people who spend their time posting their thoughts and ideas on the internet. In some ways, the documentary aspect of blogging is more of a side effect than a primary goal.
However, the fact that so many people are interested in publishing these public online diaries shows that personal blogs are about more than just random thoughts and rumination. The fact that bloggers are so stimulated by and interested in sharing their ideas with each other reinforces the idea that personal blogs are, in some ways, documentaries meant for public consumption.
In the long run, documentaries appeal to people who are curious about other ways of life, and many people who regularly read others personal blogs are looking for this same kind of new perspective.
If you would like to learn how your personal documentary can have you blogging for cash, get a copy of Rob Benwell's, Blogging to the Bank.
|
|
