A safe place online

Nowadays, social media is an extension of ourselves; it is not just a tool, it is our representation in the digital world. It is therefore normal for many professionals to use it to make themselves known, just as it is normal for companies to use it as a marketing tool to establish and promote their brand. However, it is worth remembering that long before the advent of social media, the web was filled with sites called blogs, where people wrote about any topic. You can find blogs on any topic or personal blogs, where the person who runs them talks about whatever they want. It has therefore become essential to have a window open in this online world, allowing us to say, “I exist too”. The obvious question now is which medium to choose.

Between blogs and social media

The question arises: why choose a blog instead of an Instagram profile or, better still, a LinkedIn profile? In reality, I have always wanted to have a safe place, a place where I decide what to put. A blog is a bubble where you create your own world, where others can look but cannot decide what to see inside. Especially nowadays, when social awareness about social media has increased, I believe that having a safe place like this is fundamental for one’s well-being. In this way, you achieve a sort of small independence: you become a small island in the great ocean of the web. Another fundamental aspect is the type of content you put on it. The form of a blog is clear: text and words, little else. Social media focuses on images and videos, accompanied by music. The question you have to ask yourself is what really matters. A blog allows you to write and talk about whatever is on your mind rather than your projects. A blog can be a small museum of yourself open to others where you can say what you want to say, how you want to say it. There is no rush, no need for sensationalist headlines because, like those who enter a museum, those who read my blog are interested, otherwise they would not have entered. The keyword is intentionality.

The beauty of writing

A personal website, like a social media account, can be a tool for representation that allows you to showcase a portfolio, or it can be a way to communicate with others, perhaps less immediate than a photo on Instagram, but certainly more authentic. Throughout history, words have played the role of passing on knowledge and raising awareness; paintings and statues merely accompanied thought and rarely allowed for the transfer of precise concepts. Today, words are accompanied by photos and videos, yet words are still more valuable. In fact, words allow for greater freedom of interpretation, unlike photos and videos, which are interpreted and often influenced by emotional rather than rational aspects. Some would say that words are the basis of reasoning and writing is perhaps its crowning glory.

Writing for yourself

Writing, like journaling, allows you to reorganise your thoughts and ideas. It allows you to empty your mind and gradually put everything back in order. Writing for yourself also means doing so without looking for anyone to read it, which does not necessarily mean keeping it private, especially if you believe, as I do, that these words have value.

Writing for others

A text full of words creates a lot of friction for people, who much prefer less cognitively demanding activities such as using social media. This is precisely why reading a book, once we overcome the initial friction, gives us satisfaction. On the contrary, using social media does not bring this kind of lasting joy. Writing for others to read and understand. As mentioned above, there is greater intentionality. Word by word, we think about which is the best to express ourselves. In this way, a close, almost intimate relationship is formed with our readers because we lay ourselves bare through our words. Careful choice of words allows us to become the words themselves. In this case, it is only us in front of the reader, nothing else in between. This is the true power of words, a power as strong as it is difficult to handle. This strong bond is as strong as it is difficult to establish, but what really matters? Reaching the largest possible audience or connecting with and finding someone who echoes the words you have chosen? It is clearly a matter of priority, if what matters to you is something that goes beyond the here and now, but extends and tends towards infinity, as indeed the very nature of man does.