According to Google Trends, popular blogging site Substack, a subscription-based blogging- and newsletter-sharing platform founded in 2017, peaked in popularity earlier this year. In a world of short-form content, wildly personalized algorithms, shortening attention spans, and a constant need to find the next big thing, it seems counterintuitive that a website dedicated to singular users sharing long-form, word-processed, in-depth reflections would find its way into the cultural zeitgeist. It raises the question: Is blogging back?
Blogging, or “web-logging,” is a form of online content where a writer regularly shares their thoughts and reflections in an informal style. They also have an element of curation, where a writer can compile links or information they recommend and share it with their audience.
Blogs are an important part of internet history, but as sharing content online has evolved, and with the rise of modern social media like TikTok, Instagram and X, the traditional written blog seems to be declining in relevance and popularity.
Thus, with the blog seemingly “dying,” one might expect young people who grew up in an age of modern social media to resort to the popular platforms, like TikTok or Instagram, when trying to explore their interests, share their thoughts and connect with others. However, young people are increasingly accomplishing this through the seemingly archaic blog.
Mes Sileshi, a first-year philosophy major, regularly writes on Substack. On her blog, she writes about philosophy and theology, with a focus on the ways that they connect to modern social phenomena.
For Sileshi, part of the draw of blogging isn’t just as an alternative to social media—it is a counter to their negative effects. Dealing with increased polarization, a lack of genuine discourse and decreased attention spans, the blog can offer an escape from many of the ails of things like Instagram and TikTok.
“It’s really cool to see a community of people collectively come together to share different opinions and different ideas, and it seems very distinct from what you might see from TikTok or Instagram… there’s still that kind of intellectual humility where people are like willing to just like discuss these ideas and foster a sense of community there,” Sileshi shared.
Chris Paul, a professor in communication and media, emphasized how blogging has continued to be prominent, but dissatisfaction with the state of social media is causing young people to express themselves in ways from the past. He references a concept called “enshitification,” coined by Cory Doctorow, which describes how technology gets worse over time through prioritizing profits over innovations and user experience.
“When Twitter and Facebook and all these other places took off, they were something different than they are now… It becomes a worse product for people. So inevitably there’s going to be something that comes up that tries to offset that,” Paul said.
Other social media platforms are also embodying many of the same qualities that we see from blogging. Tumblr has been in the space of text-based social media for years, but recently, some Seattle University students have been using Perfectly Imperfect (PI), a social media site that functions much more like a blog than something like Instagram or TikTok.
PI is a social media site with a retro-inspired interface that attempts to create a radically different platform for people to connect on. It operates around users sharing recommendations, and does not emphasize likes or followers to drive engagement. On the front page of their website, a tagline reads, “THE INTERNET IS BEING POISONED BY BIG TECH AND AI. LET’S TAKE IT BACK.”
Mars Nelson, a third-year communication and media major, is a longtime blogger and an early adopter of PI. They are drawn to the authenticity of the platform, and said that it shares many of the qualities that they appreciated about blogging, and encourages more thoughtful engagement.
“I’m seeing, like, a surge of people being like, I’m so sick of my attention span being nonexistent, and, like, being on TikTok all the time. So I feel like people are looking for ways to feel smarter again, and blogging is a part of that,” Nelson said.
Nelson was also drawn to the novelty and small nature of PI, and shared that the platform still being small meant that it fostered much more connection between users than other media. They, though, also rebuked the idea that blogging was once dead and is now back.
“I think [blogging is] trending now but important always for sure, because I think there’s always been a group of people who express themselves like that,” Nelson said.
Paul echoes this view, sharing that while blogging may have a bump in popularity now, it has continued to serve a function. In his view, as long as something can serve a function, it doesn’t need to be brand new or cutting edge.
“If they can provide you with value, then it doesn’t matter what it looks like. You continue to go back because of the people and the place.”
Ultimately, the recent uptick in blogging and alternative social media is emblematic of many of the ways that young people are coping with the modern social media landscape. While blogging as a whole or PI might not be as popular this time next year, their resurgence shows that young people will continue to search for ways to authentically express themselves, even if that means reaching into the technologies and aesthetics of the past.
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