Reach Out Across Countries and Demographics with Blogging
Alfred Bester wrote a novel that was published in 1956 called The Stars My Destination. (In the United Kingdom, the book was called Tiger! Tiger!) Now considered a classic, the novel was the subject of a great deal of controversy when it was originally published. Today it is thought of as a classic, the book that introduced the term “jaunt” for teleportation (which would see extensive use in later television science fiction shows like The Tomorrow People on British television).
The premise of the novel is that by the 25th century, human beings have conquered the stars and established teleportation technology. That technology has, however, disrupted the social fabric, causing war between planets (divided into “inner” and “outer” worlds). When Gully Foyle is marooned and then ignored by a potential rescue ship, he becomes obsessed with getting revenge. Adopting a horrific tiger tattoo on his face, he becomes a terrorist, only to be captured and imprisoned (where he cannot teleport away).
If the story sounds familiar to you at this point, it’s because it’s basically a science fiction retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo. Foyle reinvents himself as a rich man after escaping prison, tracks down the crew of the ship that failed to rescue him, and is foiled again and again in his pursuit of revenge.
The story becomes much more convoluted from there, but ends with Foyle finding a kind of spiritual epiphany. Armed with his new faith, he is able to teleport from world to world (something that was previously not possible when “jaunting”). Ultimately, he becomes a cult-leader figure, presumably finding peace in his newfound calling.
Why have I told you that story?
You’re asking the wrong question. Instead, ask yourself: Why did you read that story? What pulled you through those paragraphs?
Blogging allows you to tap into the power of storytelling. Imparting that story is one way to hold the reader’s interest, but the story is a metaphor. Specifically, the story is a metaphor for reaching out across space and making new connections. That’s the theme of the book (when it’s not borrowing liberally from Count of Monte Cristo). And that is — and it is no coincidence that I’m telling you this — the power of the blog. Blogging lets you hook readers with storytelling no matter where in the world they might be. The Internet reaches across the planet.
“Tweet others the way you want to be tweeted.”– Germany Kent
I told the joke previously about using the power of the Internet to meet strangers in other countries and make them angry (when not looking at videos of cats). The fact is, though, our world is so connected now that it might as well be Bester’s future of teleportation. There is no connection, anywhere on the planet, that cannot be made using the power of the Internet. All that remains is to find some means of establishing that link with another person (or many persons, in the form of an audience).
Use your blog, therefore, to create new connections. Reach around the world with it. Reach across international boundaries and demographics. Establish powerful links across cultures and among different types, groups, and societies. The result will not only be a better, more connected world in some small way, but it will be a larger audience for your writing and more attention for the work you produce.
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*This blog was written 100% by a human and contains no AI-generated written content.