Blogging Like It's ... 2026?

Picking up blogging again in 2026 in some way seems a little bit foolish. The blog is a lost art replaced by the instant gratification of social media. Blogs have to be located, intentionally read, whereas social media feeds you an endless stream of content based on previous views.

And yet, there is something about the blog that drew me back to it. 

Part of it is the essay-like format. I remember learning in grad school that “essay” comes from the French word “essai,” meaning try, attempt, or trial. Montaigne’s essays drove home this point, winding from one idea to another and often conflicting with each other. So often in school students are taught that essays must follow a single format, must be clear and well-supported, must drive home an argument. However, exploring the essay through the french word and the body of Montaigne’s work, I began to understand the possibility of the essay as a thinking (rather than a thought) piece. How freeing to be able to use the essay as an exploratory tool rather than a declaration of truth.

The blog also gives me a place to practice writing. You know how people often say that something is “just like riding a bike”? Well, one summer in college, I hadn’t ridden a bike in several years, and my brother proposed that we go on a family bike ride. Nothing felt right. I had to think about every movement. Right when I thought, “Okay, I’m getting the hang of this,” my tire caught in the side of a storm drain, and I went flying off my bike and onto the concrete. So, writing? Yeah, it’s kind of like riding a bike. You may remember the mechanics, but if you don’t do it for a while, it doesn’t come naturally anymore. 

I also like that the blog is a lower pressure format. Yes, readers can say what they want, but there are no hoops to jump through. There are no editors (at times it probably shows). There is no demand to respond to the latest and greatest academic article. I can just write and post on my own time.

So, yes, maybe blogging is going out of style, but I’ll still be right here.