My Diary Then & Now

Social Media & Blogging – The 21st Century Diary

If you kept a diary or journal while growing up, you’ll probably know how tough a habit it is to get out of. There’s something clarifying about writing down the details of your day, going through them in your mind as you record them for posterity. The diary habit is one that stays with us – even if we don’t realize it.

Not convinced? Perhaps you think that you put your diary away years ago, and haven’t thought of it since. Clearly, you managed to quit the habit. Well… that might not be the case. There might be a pretty big difference between how you go about it, but chances are, you’re as much of a diarist as you ever were. Social media and blogging are the 21st Century diaries – and here’s the proof!

Secrecy & Privacy

Then

• You got a new diary for your birthday, Christmas, or just treated yourself to it – and the first thing you did was cover it in warnings. Dire warnings, of course; warnings to anyone who might think of peeking into my diary. It was to be our secret haven. Some diaries (and these were the best diaries, let’s all agree) even came with a padlock – so no one was going to be breaking into them!

Now

• So you might not have the paper version anymore, but that doesn’t mean you’re not recording your life akin to a diary! The modern day version of security and privacy would be for your social media feeds. Rather than having them open to the public, you can screen them so only a select few can see what you’ve been doing. Instagram.com will even let you keep your entire feed totally private if that’s the way you want to do things – the 21st Century equivalent of the padlock!

Ideas & Inspiration

Then

• Your life was the inspiration, the endless fountain of ideas and experiences. You would fill the page, scribbling furiously, your letter formation becoming steadily more and more scrawled. Crack open one of your old diaries today and you will likely see a list of complaints and teenage drama. It’ll be embarrassing.

Now

• While many people use social media or have a blog for themselves, there’s no doubt there is an element of showcasing to them. It’s not longer the holding point for your innermost thoughts that you want to keep secret, and that means you might occasionally need an idea for a post or some help with a blog function. You’ve got the likes of Blogging.com to help you out if you do; there was no TeenageMelodrama.com back in the day – and maybe you should be thankful for that!

Venting Frustrations

Then

• If someone crossed you or you had a bad day, it was the pages of your diary that were on the receiving end of it. Writing so hard you would dent or rip the page, you’d vent all of your furies until you began to finally relax and move past it.

Now

• We still do the same thing – but it’s our keyboard that takes the punishment rather than paper. If you’ve ever indulged yourself with a Tweetstorm or a long rant on Facebook, you’ll be able to connect the dots to your diarist past. Sometimes it’s just good to vent!

Thanks a lot for reading!

Take Care 

Klaudia

across the web

• Why keeping a diary could be the key to a better memory
• Midland native opens new social media agency in Saginaw
• How to Make All Your Social Media Accounts Private