Blogging in 2018 : Money or Passion

Five to seven years ago, blogging was a new thing. People share their day to day life; writing almost an online diary for everybody to see, therefore finding like minded people who relate to the bloggers in some level.

In 2018, it is much different.

Blogging and Youtube has become in some way, a way of life. There are bloggers and vloggers in seemingly every corner of the earth, the internet seem to be saturated by them. And now, more than ever, there's money to be earned from it. Millions of hours of videos are uploaded to youtube on a constant basis, thousands of new blogs pop up faster than ever. People has seen how easy it is to earn a living through blogging; because their idols, the bloggers, takes them in on their daily life, showing a side of life that is effortless, glamorous, and seemingly perfect. In simpler words, blogging is now seen as a job with low effort but high pay.

With a few thousand followers, not to mention tens or hundreds or even millions of them, bloggers can now charge companies for advertisement by way of including their products in their vlog, blog, or instagram posts. And the more followers you have means that you can charge the companies with an even higher rate. With bloggers reportedly being paid upwards of five thousand dollars per post, no wonder more and more people are interested in this new way of money making.

While there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to make money from your blog, it is evident that the blogging culture has shifted from what it was five to seven years ago. It is no longer a place to share with the world, it is a very much capitalised industry.

I can't help but wonder if monetary possibility should be the main driving point for people to quit their jobs and start blogging. I still believe that without passion for writing and their theme niche, people shouldn't start blogging. When one's attitude from the start has been about making fast money, it then lacks the genuine feel and relatability that sets bloggers from mainstream celebrity and models apart. Because then question would be, how can viewers be sure that their bloggers are not just in it for the money?

I have to admit, many of the bloggers I followed earlier to my introduction to the blogging world are now off my subscription list. Their world has gone so far away of my reality that I can't relate to it anymore. Somehow, as I grew up, their charm seem to be lost on me. But as I have previously mentioned, there are now so many new bloggers that the possibility to find one who is more my speed is quite endless. However, I still struggle to find content that has actual thought and quality behind it; one that doesn't hide behind highly retouched photos, shocking clickbait, and the most expensive products you can buy.

Maybe one day, the culture would shift once again, and when it does, I'll be interested to see what comes off it.


xo,
Maria