During my angsty teenage years, LiveJournal was where it was at. I remember writing in it daily, and even though I came from a small town, I had an audience who interacted with my journal. It felt real and vulnerable.
Why did we stop using it? Facebook came out, and all of a sudden, the world lived through status messages. AIM → LiveJournal → Myspace → Facebook → YouTube → TikTok. We went from instant connection and long-form thought to building spaces that felt like our own, only to abandon them in favor of performing for the world. Somewhere along the way, we traded vulnerability for likes.
I miss the community.
That said, I've been blown away by the people I've been meeting here on Inkwell. It's been a pleasure getting to know everyone, and I hope to continue meeting many more. I also hope others find one another through here and make meaningful connections. The one thing I've noticed so far is that I'm meeting people all over the world. Right now, that feels important.
Who else used LiveJournal? And who joined for the appeal of long-form writing?