Is blogging the equivalent of popping pills?
Submitted by matthew yeomans on March 4, 2008 – 6:07 pm2 Comments
There is a growing swell of chatter today about a new piece of research coming out of Australia suggesting bloggers are happier than non-bloggers. Bloggers, the researchers say, feel a greater connection to a particular community. They feel as if they have a stronger support system behind them and a greater feeling of self-worth, the study says.
As The Times says, blogs could be better than Prozac to chase the blues away. Let’s hope readers feel the same way.
2 Comments »
Fascinating post. I came to blogging a year ago and been ‘hooked’ ever since. After a 20 year career in business holding senior positions in the gaming and gambling industry I have since been in Academia for 6 years. Initially I explored the concept of blogging very sceptically wondering why on earth people did it and why on earth people read them. Clearly ‘content’ matters, and the ability to publish without using a publisher is appealling however ‘why’ people do it above and beyond chasing ‘monetisation millionaire dreams’ is really inetersting. In my case I can see direct parallels with gaming behaviour. There is the sense of instant gratification, and the ability to measure (via Google analytics, Feedburner etc) the level of reaction. This takes the form of that most powerful of reinforcement schedules (known to the gambling industry) as ‘variable intermittent’. This means that following a post, the blogger doesn’t know if the post is going to hit big or samll or for how long. This is compulsive. How many bloggers check their ‘stats’ before they even get dressed! And getting a ‘new flag’ on Feedburner is like getting a min-jackpot. Like all social phenomema blogging has its benefits and its potential downsides—so beware the compulsive blogger
How many bloggers check their ‘stats’ before they even get dressed!… guilty (well, not every day, but a fair number)
Welcome to the blogosphere, and thanks for sharing your experience with us.
– Bernhard
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