Ultimately, we hear things because we cannot see everything.
Slavoj Zizek, Gaze and Voice as Love Objects
There are so many voices here in the blogosphere. I love listening to those voices.
There are the calmer, gentler voices of older people who have finally got the time to indulge in a life-long passion. They have finally got the time to write after retirement.
There are the voices of college students, very social, excited, always sharing important stories and events and always willing to learn.
There are the voices of even younger teenagers trying out their craft with a host of possibilities in front of them. Some of them already show great talent and reveal an innocence about worldly ways to succeed. This hope is probably only a gift the young can have which will make them bring change to old, fossilized methods of experiencing life, reading and writing.
There are people who write about real sadness or dilemmas whose honesty often shines through their lack of craft, if any. Then there are those who write about social issues. The best of them let their own personalities take a back seat.
When you pass them by on the street you hardly ever know who they are or what they are thinking.
But here, in the blog world, which is supposedly not a real world, you hear them from the inside out in a manner of speaking. More honest. More thoughtful. With some of the necessities of daily life filtered out (rushing somewhere, presenting a facade to the world, reputation anxieties)You see them when they have taken out a moment from their daily lives to think and speak.
Sometimes people surprise you. People you’ve known a long time and thought you knew very well show an aspect on social media that you did not know existed before. You discover the quiet, non-careerist homemaker actually reads a lot. Or the techie-minded neighbour is into philosophy. Or a perfectly regular and courteous cousin has such dogmatic ideas. You would not have known these aspects existed unless you read what they wrote or things they “liked.”
Which are the real voices? Those you meet on the street or those you hear on the ‘net? Does it matter?
It doesn’t except that these voices are here to stay in addition to those “real” voices that were already there. That’s not such a bad thing!
©bottledworder, 2013. https://bottledworder.wordpress.com
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bottledworder 
I love being one of those voices. It allows me to speak to all the world (or none of it).
I can speak plainly and at length over things I care about most, without being interrupted by students, lunch bells, or parting ways on the street.
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Having the same thoughts too! I often wonder about the ‘real’ voices, we curate our net lives in a way that it’s hard to fliter in reality…
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Good post, made me think. Blogging posts can be more considered and more thought put into it before hitting the publish button. I love the phrase so many voices on the blogosphere…
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I enjoyed this an many levels, the funniest however is “dilemmas whose honesty often shines through their lack of craft, if any” because I understand and know that is me (but I do it anyway LOL). Cheers for the day
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I read this post as a challenge to blog more honestly. True, we can’t all divulge our personal details, and we shouldn’t, but that’s not what honesty is about necessarily. It’s honesty of opinion and of ideas. Thank you for this.
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So many voices – I LOVE it!
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Really good post. Thought provoking with very relevant and important questions to prod thoughts on the subject. 😀
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This is such a beautiful and thoughtful post. All of your posts are, but this one particularly resonated with me. I’ve only been on WordPress a short time, but already feel I’ve “met” such a variety and range of people, all with interesting things to say. It’s a heady and wonderful experience!
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I like this post. True, there are many voices in the world – both online and offline. However, both are thoughts and opinions by real people so they are real! I love making virtual friends via blogging, too.
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Both voices are real, both add value, both create a clearer picture of the the person, even to themselves. Nice insights! Thanks!
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The cool thing about blogging is that it is an outlet for quiet types. No pressure, no judgment – just words on the screen. I’ve never met a blogging friend in person, but think of them when I see things in daily life that I know they would like – based on what they’ve revealed on their blogs.
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Love this post. Thank you!
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There are all the voices you mention and then of course ~ there is yours as well. Insightful and thought provoking as always.
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So very very true.
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Your description of the various voices is so on target. he beauty of blogging is that everyone can express who they are in their words and their blog site.
Great post ….
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“Sometimes people surprise you…” So true. I think I know someone and then boom! They surprise me. I surprise myself. People are so complex and blogging seems to magnify that for me…and us..
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I feel closer to some of my blogging friends than my real friends. I respond quicker to a blog comment than a text message. I think just because it’s cyber space doesn’t devalue the bond any. I heart blogging.
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And the ability to connect and read the blog from far away places, such as Warrnambool, Victoria in Australia, where I am holidaying now -1000km from regular home and further from the blog itself!
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And great friendships to be made as well.
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