A reader asks:
A couple of years ago, blogs became a very big deal. Everyone and her brother was writing a blog. But the whole blogging phenomenon seems to have died down a lot recently. Is there anything astrological that could explain this fad?
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This is out of my realm of expertise but I’ll offer my thoughts and if we’re lucky, some other astrologers will offer their views in comments. First, I’m not sure I agree that blogging is a fad that is dying or has died down. I don’t think it’s a beanie baby thing. Now that was a fad.
Back when everyone was collecting everything there were a bunch of planets lined up in Taurus, the sign that rules “possessions” and is known horde things and hold on to them forever. Just ask my son, a Taurus who wants to save the Spiderman packaging his underwear came in.
And because it is “as above, so below” when all these planets were stacked up in Taurus, everyone was hoarding “stuff”. Women my age were lined up early in the morning to buy the new bean bag toy and people were greedy too….another Taurus trait.
For example, here in Denver, they gave out these beanie babies at a Broncos game, free with the price of a ticket and people were scalping them outside the stadium that night for $1000 and up! And get this. Some people wouldn’t sell, lol!
So anyway, I did see this one coming. And I wrote about it. How when planets moved on this fad would unravel and it did. And I remember the day I knew it was over. Martha Stewart, who was showing like items grouped together to decorate, started showing clear surfaces. Uh oh!! And right behind that, Feng Shui started getting mainstream, the Fly-Lady came on the scene, etc. And next thing you know, we’ve all got out garages stuffed to the rafters and we’re thinking, what was I thinking when I bought all this shit?
But does this describe “blogging”? I don’t think so. Blogging is essentially self-publishing. Publishing is a Sagittarius thing. You know. “Go tell it on the mountain”. Blurt out your truth! So I would look at Pluto’s transit through Sagittarius to describe and explain the blogging phenomenon. So what’s that mean?
Well, with Pluto things “erupt”. For example, when Pluto was in Scorpio (sex, death, taboo)… it was all about incest and repressed memories. This stuff was on the cover of every magazine. You could not escape it.
Then came AIDS. Another eruption. And here’s my point.
Pluto left Scorpio and there is still AIDS and there is still incest. These things are lower profile. They are not NEW news, but they are part of the landscape now. And this is what I think the future holds for blogging.
I think blogging has erupted like a volcano. And the lava flies, right? But when it hardens the way it does, the landscape is altered. Did beanie babies alter the landscape? No.
So there you go. Blogging is not a fad. I think it’s here to stay. What do you think?
I agree. It’s not a fad. I suppose it might seem that way if you don’t blog yourself and don’t read blogs regularly. Certainly some people did it because it was fashionable, but I believe that most bloggers use it as a new way of publishing thoughts, ideas, opinions, stories, or even a communication tool to keep in touch with friends and family.
I also think it’s somewhat ironic to ask such a question *on an advice blog*… 🙂
I’m with you on this one. I think blogging is far more facetted than just the simple jotting down of thoughts. 🙂
I think you are a fascinating read even though I don’t believe in…skip that…you do explain things as logically as anyone does. I think blogging became popular because people COULD blog. Then they found that they didn’t have that much to say that anyone cared about and got bored with themselves. How many blogs have you gone to that haven’t posted for months? And those posts were pretty lame at that.
I do think that blogging will largely die down in short order (it’s already started). It won’t ~stop~, but it is already transmogrifying. Three things will happen/are happening:
1) The diehards will keep at it.
2) The non-serious bandwagon-riders are already bored and itching for the next fad.
3) Some more-serious bandwagon-riders have moved up to self-publishing (i.e., *paper* books that they can sell) – (also explained by Pluto thru Sadge). These will eventually fall off that ~wagon~ too (once Pluto moves on).
~that~ wagon
Self-publishing (paper books) is real big right now. Everybody and their mother thinks they are a writer. Just like when word processors came out and people discovered fonts. They didn’t have a clue about typography and how to use fonts the proper away, but all of a sudden, everybody went font-crazy (and opened businesses as self-proclaimed ‘desktop publishers’) with ghastly results. Eventually they got bored, and who the hell do you know plays with their word processor anymore? Most people 1) are herd animals and 2) have very short attention spans. It’s like kids and new toys at Christmas. Quickly discarded.
Oh Elsa, ’tis unfortunate your readership fails to discriminate between belief and experience. Methinks logic is not a factor in that equation at all. But of course its *always* good manners to dismiss the value of the form of logic(astrologic) providing the framework for such good advice. Compellingly insightful advice. It’s kinda like saying I love what you’ve done with your poodle, but don’t believe in dogs.
Maybe this is an indication more astro jargon is needed for the uninitiated (who seem to be in the minority).
Onward.
Blogging as a fad, yes and no. I will be Mercury in 6 nitpicky about the vocabulary for a bit. Blogs are a technology, more like desktop publishing than self publishing. It’s all self publishing.
Personally I loathe the AIDS=Pluto in Scorpio example, because its too narrow. AIDS is killing more people than ever. Just not as many in the world of rich, white people (USA, Europe). It’s an epidemic in Africa and South Asia, becoming more and more prevalent in cultures like China and India.
IMO mundane astrology (of which we are writing) cannot be applied in this culturally specific way. Elsa makes a good point about AIDS still being around, but on an international level it’s bigger news than ever, even Iraq. Just ask Bono.
So, I should probably come out and say I am also a siderealist of sorts(California and jyotish), and dabble in multiple zodiacs beyond the tropical(draconic, etc)
Anyway, what’s really interesting is the idea of a fad. What are potential significators for fads?
Libra combos-passing ‘fashions’
Uranus combos-rapid, unexpected and brief
Neptune combos – unstable, evanescent glamour
Pluto – mob behavior/mass psych
(feel free to add or detract)
Blogging is a form of electronic communication (Mercury and Uranus), but is no different in that quality from text messaging or voice mail.
How can we answer this question astrologically? Elsa is right, blogging is here to stay, but other authors are also right.
Too manybudding bloggers are wrong when they think they have something to say to the world and the energy to sustain a long conversation with it via writing and images. Lack of response also has a lot to do with the demise of blogs. The expectation of much desired attention is rarely fulfilled. Better to find a good listener nearby, or try to get some work on postsecret.
Any blog that encourages new topics continuously like the popular culture fodder of gossip and political blogs is more likely to thrive. Advice is a brilliant turn on this a different never ending stream of material. (the advice has to be good, much like politcal analysis or juicy gossip) Vanity/diary blogs tend to fade quickly, go largely unread, or disappear into the realm of the subcultural.
What will ultimately make the difference in the short life cycle or ‘fad’ of individual blogs (which is really more of a passing fancy in this case) is the same as any magazine or tv show, the quality of the voice and the substance of its content. Mainstream media will always focus on and co-opt new media under the prominence of Uranus and or Aquarius. Once a tool for fast delivery of information is created, it can only be superceded by something better or made too expensive for mass consumption.
Blogging started when Uranus was in Aquarius, rather than PL|SG. Interested mundane astrologers would probably be well served by looking at multiple moments of prominence for more specifics.
eg. Look at the chart of the first television broadcast with transits and progressions from the last presidential election. This is when blogging really started to show its face in the mainstream and become a bandwagon.
So my answer is yes, (but) blogging is more a passing fancy or bandwagon than a fad. IMO, fads tend to have no practical use value. i.e. hula hoops, chia pets, pet rocks, unhealthy diets. Fashion (as in clothing)doesn’t really inspire fads either, fashion is trendy.
another example: Jupiter is presently in wide aspect to Uranus from Scorpio. We are seeing plenty about the use of the blog community (MySpace) by sexual predators(Jupiter in Scorpio) to victimize(Pisces) young bloggers. I find this more flexible way of looking at lasting cultural conditions more useful than one shot generational influences. It comes and goes in the shared consciousness in different ways.
Last example: In this way we can read the continuing AIDS HIV global epidemic as being abstract, far away or foreign (Sadge) rather than extreme, urgent, or representing an intimate crisis affecting emotional and physical security (Scorp).