Call yourself a blogger...

I've always been one to roll my eyes at people proclaiming that people 'hate' on bloggers. I've liked and lol'd at some of Pamela Joyce's impressions of bloggers finding them very relatable but I never saw it as a particularly spiteful jab at bloggers. After all it has become such a saturated market that it can be easy to see why it would irritate the non blogging community when their newsfeeds are consistently flooded with people gushing about beauty products or brands. Obviously the smart thing to do would be to unfollow these people on Snapchat or Facebook or Instagram if you find them offensive but lets be honest bitching can sometimes become a national pastime.

The problem that I have and what I wanted to write about here today stems from conversations I've heard at work from people denouncing a certain well known blogger with serious vitriolic hate towards them. The main reason I think I have figured out why they don't like them is because of the money they earn and the fact that they appear to give every product they review 'five stars'. The problem then, in actuality, lies with the gullible public and those who buy into bloggers. It is up to the public to decide whether bloggers who are not transparent in whether their views on a product have a direct link to the cash it is giving them are worth following.

People also had comments such as 'she just woke up one morning and decided to be a blogger' to say. I'd love to know what specific path people think blogging should take. Is there a CAO form we are supposed to fill out? Course requirements we have to fulfil? No, all it takes is a passion for writing - if we take blogging back to where it originated from - and a passion for your topic of choice, be it travel, beauty, food, fitness etc. The visible Snapchat superstars are the people who seem to be drawing the most ire from the non blogging community which is in turn tarring all bloggers with the one brush. Some of us don't even like the medium of Snapchat.

I also have somewhat of an issue with the term 'digital influencer'. I am the most unpretentious no BS type person going and that's just exactly what it sounds like - a hape of pretentious BS. There is no denying the fact however that social media influencers (SMIs) or digital influencers as a broader term really are changing the face of traditional media and advertising. People can bemoan them all the more but they are the savvy among us who have decided to turn a passion into a way to make money which is what life is all about really, now isn't it?

I will be the first one to admit that the word blogger is a term that can be very loosely used nowadays. Even in reference to my own blog if I haven't been posting frequently like the last couple of months I have that sense of imposter syndrome. The aim for blogging for me this year will be the get back to basics and start writing which is why I started this blog ultimately. Instagram flatlays, Snapchat stories and Facebook updates can wait.