Can we talk...?

A couple of days ago, I read about a blogger who said he is never “stuck” when it comes to writing his blog. He said, “Why would someone get stuck? Just "write like you talk”. That version of the book was released in 2016. As of today, 10 years ago. It feels like it was just yesterday, yet so many things have changed. Especially if it comes to us… talking.  

Social media changed the way we live, the way we connect with people, and the way we feel. So I can’t help but wonder, can we still talk?

I, myself, feel like I always had so much to say in my posts, but recently I feel so out of touch. I started noticing people using ChatGPT to write their social media posts, their blogs, and even using AI to create profiles and videos. I don’t even know what is real anymore. Who is real. Are we really becoming so blind to see how this kills our creativity? How does it silence us? How does it diminish our ability to connect with people – especially in real life?

Somewhere in Rome...

I am not the one to throw the stone, however. I admit, I have used AI to help me “tidy up” my website, “clean up” my grammar or “improve” the text I wrote. But after a short while (aka a few months), I am starting to loathe it. I feel like it has taken my voice away. So what if my posts are not perfect? (I am not even a native English speaker.) So what if my posts are lengthy or not super engaging? So what if I cannot come up with click-bait type of titles or better keywords?

I would rather have a handful of readers I can connect to via my real voice than have hundreds who skimmed perfectly written posts that don’t even sound like me.

Maybe for some people it’s okay to take AI shortcuts, but this is not how I want to live my life.

I am a curious person by nature, and I love to learn different things. I love to do things by myself. And most of all, I love to read and write. And be myself. So typing in a prompt in ChatGPT saying “write a blog post for me about…” just kills me inside.

I grew up with no social media. I got my first cellphone in my late teenage years – and it did not have a colorful screen or internet access. I bought my first laptop in my 20s (with my own hard-earned money!) And sometimes I wish kids these days could experience this kind of upbringing. An upbringing that breeds creativity out of boredom. An upbringing that makes you travel with no Uber app, wifi, and Google Maps. An upbringing that makes you ask strangers for directions, and learn how to use a physical map and road signs. An upbringing that makes you go out to meet people, get drunk and go crazy without posting all of it on Instagram. An upbringing that makes you live your life to the fullest without the world knowing about it. 

Paris, obviously...

Unfortunately, this is not the world we live in now. And maybe that is why I suddenly feel so out of touch. Maybe this is why I suddenly feel like I don’t know how to talk. Maybe that is why I sometimes feel like I'm losing my direction and purpose. I was not made for this world. And maybe many of us weren't.

For those of you who know me – I can almost hear you laugh, thinking, “She says can’t talk?” :) Sure, I talk a lot in person if you know me. But most of the time I feel like I’m speaking, not talking. I feel like we all speak. Sometimes a lot. But how many of us connect? How many of us listen to each other? How many of us talk?

And if I feel like I can’t talk in real life, how am I supposed to talk here, in my posts? How can I communicate in this digital world, when instead of talking to someone over a cold pint of beer I have to pretend to talk to a bunch of strangers via the digital screen? (No offence to you guys, I am grateful for having you :)).

So... Circling back to the beginning and the “write like you talk” comment.

Maybe it could have been easier 10 years ago. I don't know, I was too busy travelling and hanging out with people in different bars and countries. But I feel like we were not so affected by the digital world. We were not so overstimulated. Constantly plugged in. Unhappy. Our minds worked differently. They actually worked. And nowadays, it feels like we are all overwhelmed, tired, overloaded with social media posts, information, and things just landing into our minds, without the ability to let it all out and freely express ourselves. Be ourselves. And no, the Instagram comment section doesn’t count. :)

So my promise to myself from now on is to write my blog the way I used to. Free. Imperfect. Me. 

And how about you try to do the same? I am not saying you start a blog today (although you might!), but take a piece of paper and a pen (not your phone!) and start writing. Anything. Just write. Let it all out. And whenever you get the chance, go out to meet your friends, or even strangers, and talk. Don’t speak. Don’t use your phone. Don't post it on social media. Talk.

Somewhere in Thailand...

Unplug, order that cold pint (or juice if you are a teetotaler), talk, connect, have fun, forget about the world – especially the digital one. Live your life, and remind yourself how to be a physical and emotional human being again.

Your real, emotional, talkative human,

Marta