It is amazing the amount of comment on Facebook. A lot of people, including this author, have their own blog — a place where they can comment, hoping the rest of the world will find the words and be influenced by them.
Behind this underlying activity is a belief that people will listen to us; that we are some kind of authority worthy of being listened to. In a few number of cases, that is true. The rest of us are hacks. The word “hack” has many meanings and here I apply the word thus: “a writer who is paid to write low-quality, quickly put-together articles or books.” Except that with the internet, most hacks are no longer paid. They merely write.
My concern here, however, is not so much with the quality of the writing, but with the way writing takes place and what writers hope to achieve. We all write as if we are an authority on something. This is important. If we are not an authority, why would anyone in their right mind read our writings?
But here’s the interesting “influencing” psychology. There are two types of personalities. On the one hand there are those who find their moral standards within themselves. By this, I do not mean theologically being God, making the standards. They just look inside themselves and act accordingly. They do not need anyone to tell them what is right or wrong action. They are inner-directed. When you say to them, “In my opinion . . .” they respond, “I don’t care about your opinion.”
Recent Comments