‘The ugly side’: Rachel Martin on the reality of the blogging scene
While people have been blogging since the birth of the internet, the advent of social media means their level of exposure has increased dramatically.
With the aid of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat, bloggers can direct members of the public to their personal website, and – if lucky – acquire an overnight fan base.
And one quick scroll through any social media feed would have you believe that the life of a blogger is one long and glamorous launch, right?
But, is it really as simple as that?
Rachel Martin of The Insider Daily decided to address the myths head-on in a move which has helped shed light on the so-called 'ugly side' of the blogging world.
We'll let Rachel take it from here…
"Until now, I hadn’t realised that I only show the “pretty side” of being a blogger, without showing what it really takes. I post an airbrushed, glossier version of reality and more people need to understand the darker side of blogging. The profession of blogging and all the things that happen behind the scenes that readers never see or hear about," Rachel writes.
The title ‘blogger’ has become so unappealing. More often than not, people are speculating how much money bloggers are earning and their ‘dishonesty’ to their followers.
When I tell people I’m a beauty blogger, there’s a fairly good chance they’ll either question how I make money from it, or say something along the lines of, “You get free makeup? How do I sign up for that?”
Bloggers have received their fair share of backlash with a lot of negative connotations surrounding their ethics.
So, if a blogger is paid to promote a product, is it an honest review? I can only speak for myself but it’s very hard to say whether you’re opinion changes if you’re paid to promote a product. After all, if I’m being paid to review a product, I’m probably looking at it through rose-tinted glasses.
On the other hand, I’ve been spending my hard earned pocket-money on makeup for as long as I can remember. I have a standard that I maintain for all my beauty products, whether they have been sent to me or I’ve bought them, they have to meet my stamp of approval!
Now don’t get me wrong, I understand it’s big business for some people. I understand you have to do whatever it takes to do well but personally, I genuinely believe that you should always care about the honesty of the content you’re providing for your readers most of all.
Like in most industries, there’s definitely cliques within the blogging world.
A very fun, yet hugely intimidating part of blogging is attending events for brands. If you’re looking at these events on a blogger’s Snapchat, it’s easy to forget that the blogger attending has usually arrived solo. You arrive to the event and you don’t know a single person. Not one.
There are definitely bloggers, especially in the fashion and beauty categories, who are really friendly with one another. You might be welcomed with open arms or you might not, I’ve experienced both!
It can be so intimidating meeting these bloggers in this type of setting. The chances are you will meet absolutely lovely people but my social anxiety always seems to give me a mild heart-attack – despite knowing this.
Blogging and social media go hand-in-hand. If you’re a blogger reading this, you’ll know what I mean. I’m always on the pursuit of certain activities with the end-goal of cropping it into a square and filtering my memories into perfection.
I’ll spend hours scrolling through Instagram but when you’re constantly hit with carefully curated and staged shots that show only happy moments in peoples’ lives, it’s easy to think yours isn’t good enough.
I’ve been thinking more and more about this. I realise that the problem isn’t only in what I post but why I post. I was so ‘connected’ through social media that I never had to be alone.
There wasn’t a moment where I had to look at myself long and hard in the mirror and say “This is it. This is who I really am,” and decide for myself whether or not I like the person I see. There’s no need for that any more; A handy device in our pocket can quantify just how loved and wanted and valued we are, one like at a time.
Not that long ago, I realised that all of this superficial gratification wasn’t benefiting me in the slightest and chose to start improving myself instead.
I’m not letting the number of likes or comments on a photo decide whether or not I’m good enough. Now I am happy with who I am, I can go on social media and not wish I was someone else.
