A web log, an æthereal scrap-book if you will, with a somewhat vintage flavour. News items, occurrences, experiences, thoughts and opinions related to Victoriana through to Fifties Americana can all be found here.
Since restarting Eclectic Ephemera in March this year I haven't been able to help but perceive a dispiriting trend within the vintage blogosphere - something that I first began to notice a few years prior but which has now reached such a point that I feel moved to record my own thoughts on the matter. It is simply this - there seems to be far fewer active vintage blogs (and by blogs I mean the traditional written "web logs" hosted by the likes of Blogger, Wordpress and LiveJournal) than there once were. So many vintage bloggers appear to have vanished into the æther that it seems as though there are only a handful of us left. My blog roll and reading list of what I call "vintage lifestyle blogs" are now at least two-thirds smaller than they were ten years ago.
This is something that I'm glad to note I am not alone in observing, as fellow bloggers Harlow Darling and RetroCat have both mentioned the fact in recent posts of their own and it is that which has also inspired me to write this post (and I apologise for the stream of consciousness that is about to follow!).
What, then, may be the reasons behind the demise of so many once excellent vintage blogs and the dearth of any new ones? Well I think HD and RetroCat both touch upon the main one in their posts - the inexorable rise of social media sites and apps such as FaceBook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok and in particular the instant, quick-hit, image-heavy element therein that seems to appeal to so many people these days. RetroCat hits the nail on the head in describing this as "rapid consumption" - the internet equivalent of "fast food".
This links to my next theory on why classic blogs might be declining - a generational shift. Now on the face of it this might seem at odds with the whole vintage blogosphere ethos, inasmuch as those of us (of any age) with an abiding interest in vintage would - if we dip our toes in the online world at all - tend to be the sort who gravitate to the more traditional media such as blogs like these. But in line with the decline in traditional bloggers comes the thought that the next generation - the teenagers and those in their early twenties who, although they may well be genuinely interested and enthusiastic about vintage, are much more tech-savvy and have, dare I say it, been brought up like so many of their generation on instantaneous online gratification - are generally less interested in writing long or even middling posts about their lifestyles, their vintage finds, their thoughts and feelings on the subject; preferring instead to simply post picture after picture, "tagging", "liking" and thumbs-upping" all and sundry - they are the so-called "influencers" that HD and RetroCat so rightly mention.
I have seen a similar situation affecting another once-thriving but now seriously under threat corner of the internet - the online chat-room. Now almost an extinct species, the chat-rooms I still visit that were once teeming with interesting discussion almost all lie largely silent and dormant as everyone seems to have migrated to the behemoth that is FaceBook, with the rise in modern technology - specifically smartphones - aiding this move away from the traditional online media. In either case there sadly seems little that one can do to stem the tide, except to keep plugging away making regular appearances in the forlorn hope that it inspires others to engage in online conversation of more than a few letters and symbols. Of course every now and again one of the younger generation comes along who will embrace these older internet ways and it is up to us to encourage them where we encounter them in the hope that they will inject new blood into what is fast becoming a dying art form.
A further thought in a similar vein is the simple fact that as people age (sorry to have to bring it up, but there it is) they do change. Their views may alter over time; their likes and interests change and evolve to the point where they may no longer have the desire to follow a certain lifestyle. New paths may open up for them to explore, and who are we to begrudge them that? Family life, work commitments, or other changes in personal life may all conspire to alter someone's personality to the extent that they don't want to blog about their lives any more or if they do they do so through more modern social media because of the aforementioned instantaneousness and ease of use.
The other thing I have noticed, which may be in part linked to the above but which in fact I do feel has more to do with other factors, is the apparent decline in friendly camaraderie and interaction that used to so characterise the vintage blogosphere. Looking back to when I - and many others - started blogging 11 years ago it seems to me that we were writing in a much more positive and upbeat style, as well as commenting freely on posts, linking to each others' blogs and generally making encouraging noises to one another. Now I'm not saying this has stopped being the case entirely, nor do I mean to shame anyone into feeling that they're "not doing enough" - far from it! However I cannot get away from the fact that there does seem to have been a drop off in online interaction between remaining bloggers and while the reasons outlined above are likely involved I am given to wonder if society as a whole may not be playing a part as well.
No-one can deny that we have seen massive social as well as technological changes in the last decade and, sad to say, some of them (especially the former) have not always been positive. In the four years alone that this blog was on hiatus there have been some sea changes throughout the world, the ripples of which will have been felt by all and sundry. We only have to look at the current Covid crisis and the deplorable situation in America to note but two recent areas of massively negative social upheaval. How could one not expect that to have a wider influence on people's interactions, views, health and happiness? Who would want to blog about, say, 1930s fashion, or a classic film, when the world is in such a mess? Even when we do, it would be unreasonable not to expect some negativity to make its way - even subconsciously - into our posts.
That, however, is what I created Eclectic Ephemera for and although I still find myself at times wondering if I ought to put this place to bed once and for all I do genuinely enjoy stretching my writing muscles on here in combating the all-pervading media negativity with vintage-inspired items that interest me (and, I hope, by extension, you the readers) and I hope to be able to continue doing so for a long time to come, instant social media or not. I also hope and look forward to reading many an absorbing vintage blog both old and - hopefully! - new, with the fervent wish and belief that tomorrow will be a good day and that with everyone's help the vintage blogosphere will continue to flourish.
***What are your thoughts on the state of the vintage blogging scene? Let me know in the comments below.***
In the near three (!) years I've been writing this blog I've met (virtually) many like-minded vintage friends from all over the world, from Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, and Germany as well as Great Britain. If Google Stats is to be believed this blog has had readers from such far-flung places as Russia, Venezuela, Thailand and even eyebrow-raising locales like Iran, Iraq, Vietnam and China. Just today there's apparently been someone from the Åland Islands. Clearly an appreciation of vintage is not confined to the British Isles.
Just another old soul...
This fact is further reinforced by the accompanying article that I was fortunate enough to have fall into my Inbox from the Malaysian Star Online, charmingly written by a young (presumably Malaysian) lad who I will likely never meet but with whom I felt an immediate affinity. For his story, as told, is so very much like my own - and, I have no doubt, like a good many of my readers'. The feeling of a past life out of time inhabiting a young body, the cultural tastes so different to those of his peers, the dislike of some modern technology and a preference for all things vintage but with the underlying desire to try and merge the best of the two together - it's all there, just the same, but half a world away.
Even after all this time reading blogs, writing and reading messages to and from people across oceans (as well as closer to home) it always remains a heartwarming surprise and delight to read such a similar outlook and appreciation of the past - a shared past in many ways - in spite of the geographical distances and [perceived] cultural differences that can be involved. Vintage fascination truly is a worldwide phenomenon and it is wonderful to be able to share it with people from such varied locations (thanks - somewhat ironically - to that marvel of the modern age, the Internet). Thanks to Mohammad Shafiq Razak in Malaysia for reminding me of my own path to vintage (may you continue to enjoy your own journey) and to all my followers, readers and passing visitors near and far for stopping by.
