Splotchy: What is your blog?

VikkiTikkiTavi: Bells On

S: When and why did you start blogging?

V: I started in 2005, although I’d had a blog at Salon before then that has since been deleted.  I’m not sure why I started, except as I go back and look at some of my first posts, it’s clear to me that I really needed to hear myself talk.

S: Did you stop blogging?

V: Yeah, for all intents and purposes.  I still enjoy crafting a essay or even just writing a joke, but somehow it just doesn’t seem worth the effort anymore.  Sometimes I will write a 1000 word post on Facebook and then just delete it.  Facebook’s algorithm is not a big fan of me, so whether I publish or not it seems like the same amount of people will see it.  That’s just how it works there.

S: When did you stop blogging?

V:  It fell off sharply and then petered out during the first couple of years of the Obama administration.  Like other political/comedy writers, I appreciated how easy W made it for us. 

S: What were any factors that contributed to stopping?

V: Twitter and Facebook were huge, and the blogging culture just wasn’t out there anymore.  You know down one side of your blog you would have your blogroll, the blogs that you read, and they were either very big important blogs, or they were friends that you read who also read you.  And everyone just kinda stopped posting.  They were on social media.  It was the end of that short-lived era.

S: Do you ever miss it?

V: Yeah, I miss the camaraderie, and I miss the control that we all had over what we were taking in.  We read what we liked, not what was being fed to us.  We supported each other, and were always expanding our circle to include more people.

S: Do you think you’ll ever pick it up again?  Why or why not?

V: Well, maybe, but probably not.  Talking to an empty room is kinda sad.

S: How do you feel about social media? Does it give you the same feelings as blogging? Why or why not?

V: Social media has its good points and bad points.  On the plus side, Twitter and now Threads has allowed me to listen to and learn from a lot of voices that I never heard before.  And I appreciate keeping up with my friends’ activities on Facebook and Instagram.  But the whole time I’m just very aware of the control that is being exerted over what I see, the monetization of my attention.  

S: How do you feel about the state of the Internet in general?  This is a very broad question, so feel free how to answer as you see fit.

V: I mean, besides all the advantages of information at your fingertips, the internet has taught me not to be a dick to people I care about.  It’s such a cold medium, it’s very easy to be misunderstood, and so I think I am now always aware of how someone will hear what I’m saying.  On the other hand, there are so many garbage people that put themselves in front of you, I’ve also learned how to cut and walk away very quickly.  The internet is useful if you employ a reasonable amount of judgement to what’s out there, and sort of disastrous if you don’t. 

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Thanks for this interview, Vikki. I really appreciate your thoughtful answers.