Blogging in the Humanities—A Retrospective

As the semester comes to a close, I would like to address blogging.  Before this semester, I hated blogging.  I kept my facebook strictly for keeping up to date with organizations of which I am a part.  I had vowed never to let myself get a twitter, instagram, pinterest, or foursquare.  Look at me now, though.  Although my blog's focus strayed from music, for which it is aptly named, I am now addicted. I unabashedly check facebook regularly, I have an instagram, and am considering making a foray into other social media networks.  Why?  Whereas before I thought these endeavors would be pointless because not enough people would "follow me" or "care" to read/see what I'm doing/seeing, I see these devices as ways to connect with both people I care about as well as myself.  There is something cathartic about venting your opinions in a space that can be so intertwined with other forms of media. Assuming that my few commenters actually cared about what I was writing, it felt satisfying to know that my voice, my research, and my opinions intrigued people.  Perhaps this is something innately selfish about me or about people in general.  I suppose my becoming more vocal on the web was sparked by the election, during which it was very hard to keep quiet.  Whereas I looked down on people who "wasted their time" on social media, I now appreciate its interconnectedness.  I appreciate the way it has enabled me to express myself, to get to know classmates through their blogs, and convey topics that I find genuinely interesting to the world.  I will definitely be keeping tabs with food addiction research and government nutrition regulation, as these things have fascinated me for years.  I like my blog title, so I look forward to repurposing this blog to encompass more of my interests such as cooking, backpacking, music, and dentistry.  I will leave you with one last delightful video that has helped me through this rough semester.  I had the privilege of seeing the private screening of this documentary, and it was absolutely amazing.  Definitely check out The Muir Project.  Thank you for a wonderful semester, blog!

Best wishes,

Graham