New Year - New Ideas

Happy New Year! 

I can't say that 2022  was a good year - the 2020s in general have been very challenging - but whenever I get a bit despondent, I remind myself that the world is an amazing place and that 99% of people are good people. And, despite the worst excesses of the 'grasping covetous old sinners' that run many big businesses and the ineptitude of our self-serving politicians, there are people who spend their days making life better for us all and, without whom, society would collapse. They deserve our deepest praise and support.

I've also not let myself get mired in the misery and pessimism of world events. I stopped reading newspapers in 2011, I gave up watching the TV news and current affairs shows over five years ago and last year I ditched Twitter (even before the whole Elon Musk debacle). I'm still on Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin but I'll leave them too if they get too gloomy and doomy. 

In 2008, The Idler magazine’s Tom Hodgkinson wrote a small, angry pamphlet called We Want Everyone: Facebook and the New American Right in which he said:

'Why on God's earth would I need a computer to connect to the people around me? Why should my human relationships be mediated through the banal language and feeble imaginations of a bunch of supergeeks in California? What’s wrong with the pub? Why do we need an alternative to real life? And does Facebook really connect people? Doesn't it rather disconnect us, since instead of doing something enjoyable like talking and eating and dancing and drinking with my friends, I am merely sending them little ungrammatical notes and amusing photos in cyberspace, while chained to my desk.’

I think he's right. I genuinely think that social media does more harm than good for many users because they become so reliant on it. It's like a drug. It puts us all in competition with each other. People are having real surgery to improve their selfies now, for goodness sake. This is madness. If the Covid pandemic showed us anything, it was the importance of physically being with people we care about - loved ones, family, friends and colleagues. Drop the devices and give people a hug.

Image by Fauxels via Pexels

I started this blog as a counter to all of the negativity online. And it's also an attempt to reinforce the things that actually matter - the things that make us human. Here you'll find uplifting stuff about British folk traditions and celebrations, traditional music, art and artists, foraging knowledge, our wildlife and countryside, and a celebration of the seasons. You'll hear good news stories and read about people who have fantastic crafting skills. I've talked about positive mental health and how to eat well and lose weight. I used lockdown to get my life back on track and the blog is intended to help others do the same. I'm not doing this to make money or for self-promotion (I have nothing to sell). I'm doing this to cheer up the reader and to connect people in a positive way

But the blog isn't reaching people. It has a limited readership, very few followers, and it's evident from comments on Facebook and Instagram that people don't click through the links to the blog. Meanwhile, a video I posted of a glove stuck on the end of a waving branch got 500 views in the first 24 hours. I'm pretty sure I could have doubled that figure if I'd posted it to TikTok. 

Sigh. 

It's depressing but it's also a reality check. We live in a video-driven age and I'm a steam-driven oldie who would rather watch a traction engine than play on an iPad.

I need to up my game.

So I'll be making some videos in 2023 to accompany this blog and to properly use the YouTube channel I've had for years and hardly ever touched. I might even join TikTok and see if a short video or two will do what the blog can't. It's worth a try anyway and it's making technology work for me rather than the other way around. 

It's also a sad fact that, in order for a writer to attract publishers these days, they need a solid social media presence. So who knows? This may also help me in the future. 

But, to be honest, I'd settle for no subscribers if it meant that people put away their phones, get together, support each other, have fun and be kind. 

So welcome to 2023.

May it be a fantastic year for you and yours.

And do consider subscribing to my new YouTube channel here.

Cheers!