The new shrink in cyberspace in the blog
An article in a recent issue of Newsweek talks about the latest trend in psychiatry. No, it’s not sitting on a couch or some new kind of drug therapy. It’s called personal blogging. For those few who have never heard of blogging, it’s short for Web log. Basically, it’s the same as writing a journal.
The only twist is that the words you write won’t be hidden under a scrawled on a book with a lock on it and tucked under a bed or hidden in a drawer neatly under piles of socks. Instead, they are posted on the Internet for the whole world to see.
The article talks about people who write confessional blogs. Some people say they are just a way to get your creative juices flowing. Others say it’s an outlet for your innermost feelings.
But to an ever-growing number of psychiatrists, apparently, it’s medicinal therapy.
A study to be published in the journal Cyber Psychology and Behavior will even go as far as to say that people who blog are happier than those who don’t, according to the article.
Another article in Scientific American magazine talks about a study that seeks to explore the neurological reasons that people who express their problems in writing feel better mentally and physically.
The biggest difference between blogs and diaries, of course, is that you can actually get some feedback from an audience with a blog. Many Web sites that sponsor blogs allow readers to post comments to bloggers about their dilemmas or problems.
I have a friend who blogs. She started the blog site as a way to hopefully make money.
If a site gets enough hits, advertisers will eventually seek the site owner out. So, the sponsors of the blogs aren’t providing this free space out of the goodness of their hearts or to help the mental health of the world. Of course, it all comes down to money.
It’s really an inventive way for everyone involved to get what they need. The site providers earn money; the bloggers get a sympathetic audience to vent to and some advertising revenue; and the readers get to peer into other people’s problems without any uncomfortable obligations.
The sympathetic audience is apparently the therapeutic part of the writer/reader relationship. The fact that the audience is also anonymous helps to greatly increase the benefits. It gives the writer a way of purging their troubles without being vulnerable to judgments from peers.
There are even Web sites that provide group therapy. You can log on and find groups that want to discuss everything from weddings, unemployment and health issues to even your favorite band. Whatever your problem is, chances are you can find a Web site full of people with similar issues and concerns who are willing and waiting to talk to you.
It seems like everyone is blogging these days, and there are a variety of other reasons people blog. Many colleges are using blogs to promote student involvement for recruitment purposes. Some companies are using blogs for marketing or branding. So called citizen journalists blog to get their voices heard about current events or media stories. All of the celebrities and even politicians find it necessary to spout their beliefs and feelings into the blogosphere.
Some experts speculate that there are now more than 100 million bloggers on the Web worldwide. For people who are seeking that anonymous input from total strangers or a way to purge their troubles, that’s a lot of cheap therapy.