Why Sharing The 'Boring' Stuff Is So Important For Bloggers
Something that has held me back a lot online this year is the 'fear'. The worry that I'm not exciting enough to share my life or that I'm boring or irritating has completely ruined how I've shared myself because I've been so worried. At the time of writing this post I put out a little poll on my Instagram about what people wanted to see and there were two options: day to day and luxe. And although I presumed things would more than likely lean towards the day to day side, I didn't realise just how heavily, a whopping 96% answered that they wanted to see the day to day lives of the people that they follow. Which leads me to this post and why I think more than ever it is so important to share the things that we may deem boring online.
HOW THE ONLINE WORLD HAS CHANGED
It feels all too easy to look back on the blogging world and get all nostalgic, just like everything in life. But all those years ago, the online world definitely still had its problems but the way the blogging world worked is completely different to how it functions now. There are so many positives to how the online world is now in regards to it being more of a viable career and being much more respected. But the biggest downside for me personally, is how much it favours a more luxurious lifestyle. This shift happened a few years ago when naturally the bigger online content creators started to earn a lot more so then invested in more expensive items as well as PR companies reaching out to gift more luxe items. Then, of course, there is the huge rise in travel bloggers and insanely expensive press trips which we see on our Instagram feeds daily. And there is nothing wrong with where the blogging world is now, it's still thriving and growing bigger every day but it's worlds away from people just simply sharing what they enjoyed even though that is why we all started this whole blogging thing in the first place.
WHY DOES IT FEEL SO BAD TO BE BORING?
One of the biggest reasons that I stopped sharing my life on Instagram stories is because I worried myself to the point of sickness that I was so boring and I was more of a nuisance rather than providing anything of interest. And not only is that an incredibly unhealthy relationship to have with social media but I was also wrong, oh so wrong. I spend most of my time on Instagram watching other people's stories and the things that I find myself relating to the most and interacting with is the day to day stuff that I'd convinced myself wasn't worthy of sharing. Which made me think, why am I so scared of sharing something in the same vein when it's all I want to see on my social media feeds? What one person might find boring or unworthy of the gram is something that could be of so much use to someone else and isn't that the point of social media? It's not just there to be our highlight reel but to be social and share things that could be of use to others. And it's not just on Instagram either but vloggers too, I see so many people apologise for their content being boring when really it's just them sharing what they actually get up to in day to day life. But without a doubt, the vast majority of people want to see those things because everyone can relate to the day to day but not being flown out to L.A for the launch of a new makeup item. Even though seeing those things are fun and enjoyable, they are not relatable in the slightest.
APPEALING TO THE MASSES RATHER THAN A NICHE
Sharing what we may deem boring is something that I find incredibly important and that's for one reason and that's because it can appeal to everybody. I know for me, what I consume online has changed so much there are so many things that I want to know like what detergent people use to keep their whites white or what the best thing is for getting pet hair out the carpet. So the things that so many people might deem as boring is actually really useful and something that people are more than likely going to take away from. Everyone has to buy washing up liquid and more than likely enjoys a simple bar of chocolate so why shouldn't those things be shared more? I have absolutely zero problem with luxury goods being shared as long as people recognise the fact it's not in everyone's grasp. Spending thousands on clothes and designer bags a month is not something that every single person can do but when talking about those items so flippantly it takes away the fact they are a luxury. And even as a full-time blogger, who goes on zero press trips and a year and owns zero luxury items I recognise that my lifestyle certainly isn't the same as the vast majority and that has to be considered. It's not about making others feel bad for the life that they live but recognising our privilege is something that is absolutely integral when sharing things online.
it doesn't have to be relatable to be enjoyable
There is a big argument online for things always having to be relatable and I simply don't believe that has to be true. The reason why I want things that are relatable on my feed is so I can have a conversation about those things and will more than likely never interact with a luxury haul. There are so many things that I cannot relate to online like luxury holidays or being able to spend thousands on clothes without a second thought but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy seeing it. For example, I don't live in London and have absolutely no desire to ever move to the South of England because it's not something that I want but I love seeing other people share their lives in the capital because it's still of interest. It almost borders on reality TV for me, which sounds a little odd but because it's so different from my lifestyle it's so interesting.
THE POWER OF WORDS
Something that I've done so much more of over the years is share really personal posts like talking about the difficulty of friendships in your twenties, feeling lonely, being a homebody, dealing with a long distance relationship and all manner of topics. And without a doubt they've always been my most popular posts and what I've received the most feedback on. You don't have to share your life story to be more broad with what you write about but sharing more than your favourite clothes and makeup items is something that people are always going to be more drawn to. There is always an argument that blogs are much more polished in terms of imagery and design but you can have the most highly produced images in the world and spend hours on them. But the words you write to accompany those dreamy images can be as honest and raw as you can get and that's why blogs and captions hold so much power.
