One of the benefits I have mentioned before of this, now ubiquitous, digital landscape is the level-playing it has created. It is truly an equalizer between the affluent and moneyed and the wretched, the established and the unconventional. Some of us can still see, when we peer through our mind’s rear-view mirror, a time when interweb-by things were reserved for the very fortunate among us. 

Imagine with me, if you can, a time without email. When typewriters ruled the key-press-to-text world and only faxes and telegrams traveled across lands. What a time! I forgot pigeons (I never saw these and still do not know how they work.) I think messages arrived when they were tired (do not toss away your imagination hat so quickly). First, they would be roughly passed from one man to another, as though unwanted, and yet they carried the secrets of monarchs and nations. Trust men to be clueless. Upon arriving, they would then be disrobed and laid bare (thankfully to the audience of one most of the time) and then scanned intensely and thoroughly. The attention to detail was unmatched and very welcome. Then they would be laid down, still stretched out on all corners, as their intended hands replied to them as if line by line. What torture! 

Nowadays, the messages, through the internet, travel quickly with no (man)-handling (thank the Lord!) and sometimes, without proper reading and understanding, the replies come flying. Some aren’t read fully and many are not replied at all. Some argue that they are so many to all receive replies or intense reading. One thing they go through more than faxes is that they are laid bare for all the world to see. It is because of that that there’s no excuse for not knowing a thing because this digitization has disrobed most of the information the world has. If it has set foot on the internet, it left a print. A forever-print. 

Blogging is one such activity or tool that has allowed organizations and institutions alike to share perspectives, steer conversations, influence opinions and bring people to invisible tables on important issues. The best part is it is available to every Liz, Pat & Mary (or whoever Tom, Dick & Harry married). And that is how blogging influences societal discourse and drives change. But let me disrobe it a little more. 

It is a sure way to have representation for people of diverse backgrounds, the marginalized and the underrepresented because there are no gatekeepers on storytelling. We no longer have to jump through hoops like we used to in order to access traditional media platforms. This is very important for advocacy and challenging stereotypes. 

Ease of access speeds up information dissemination because it easier to find firsthand accounts and also have varied analyses to provide relevant insights that otherwise would have been missed if the access was limited to a chosen few. Experts that might not have access to mainstream media can opine and share their views to enrich public discourse. 

Feedback comes pronto. If you write it and I see it, I can express my opinion about it or reply to it. Granted sometimes it can be a waste of bandwidth but we cannot throw out the baby with the birth water as most of the comments are relevant, informative, rich with differing perspectives, and a boiling pot of dialogue and respectful idea exchange. 

Accountability has never been easier because things on the internet are hard to erase aiding ease of reference for generations. That promotes transparency which peels the curtain on many a once-hidden issues. 

This makes blogging a good driver for political change, social justice, activism on diverse subjects not forgetting awareness on all matter health. 

If you come across this and have never owned a blog of your own, writer or not, dare yourself today. Come out from the winter cold of letting ideas freeze in your mind because starting a blog is as easy as ABC. Besides, we should all be writers, don’t you think? Write me back if you disagree.