What are some ways of recording meaningful moments of life? Recently, blogs have gone viral among people in their 20s and 30s, also known as the Millennials and the Z generation (MZ generation), as a means of logging daily activities and thoughts. Previously, the blogging community was dominated by power bloggers, those who operate blogs mainly for information delivery and publicity. On the other hand, recent bloggers aim to keep records of their reminiscences or expose creativity by producing fine pieces of writings. Likewise, blogs have become a playground for the MZ generation, including many students at Korea University (KU), and adapted into forms of online diary and space of creation.

Before blogs became widely known in Korea, they had low accessibility due to the complex installation process. According to Dailian, South Korea’s online newspaper, Cyworld’s creation of miniblogs demolished this barrier by enabling people to freely use and decorate the platform. A few years later, as blogs became more available for the public, major companies such as Naver and Daum also launched their own unique blog services.

Blogging Habit Leads to Self-Improvement

Naver’s Lifelog.Blog campaign promotes the habit of recording the honest self, free from others’ opinions and perspectives. The campaign presents four episodes of distinct virtual characters to emphasize the importance of recording. Each episode shows how blogs can help build stories, brands, careers, and fanboy and fangirl power. Likewise, blogging is more than just uploading posts, but a process of recognizing and building one’s own life story.

Besides the platform’s function of recording everyday life, Brunch, a novel blog system of South Korea’s alternative platform company Kakao, promotes creation of sophisticated essays, short stories, and columns. The platform aims to foster authors, empowering its users to perform creative activities and express innovative ideas. Correspondingly, the diversification of blog platforms fosters people to vitalize their life through different writing activities, from everyday records to imaginative artworks.

In comparison with other social network platforms, one of the leading strengths of blogs is the mutual neighbor system. Bloggers can upload private posts that are only open to their mutual friends, which provides privacy and comfort. Hence, fully disclosed posts on any blog may only show the tip of an iceberg. Such user-friendly functions and characteristics of a blog induce the MZ generation to adopt habits of recording precious memories.

Blogs provide opportunities for the MZ generation to start with a clean slate, helping them organize complex thoughts, reflect on the past, and plan for the future. Sharing information, collecting data of one’s successes and failures, and simply recording daily life ultimately promote self-improvement. All in all, the accumulation of day-to-day records portrays the authentic me. Every click on the write button has become a step towards enriching one’s life.

Into the Records of KU Students

Three KU students currently using blogs—Kim Dong Ju (‘20, Health Policy and Management), An Seonghui (‘16, History), and Kim Doo Young (‘17, Business Administration)—shared their honest stories as life-loggers.

GT: What was your motivation to start a blog?

Kim Dong Ju: As I entered my 20s, there have been many changes in my daily life, experiences, and personal values. Blogging seemed to be the most convenient and appropriate method of recording these changes.

An Seonghui: I was inspired by my friend’s words that blogging is fun, especially when it is done with close friends.

Kim Doo Young: I started my blog in middle school to share game-related information to the public. Then for a while, I quit blogging to focus on studying. After entering KU, I decided to resume using the platform to keep personal records of my everyday life.

GT: What do you record on your blog? Feel free to describe your blog considering its diverse features, such as types of writing, production of contents, and homepage designs.

Kim Dong Ju: I promised myself to upload honest records of momentary experiences and feelings. There are times when I write about profound topics, but I mainly note ordinary life stories, such as spotting a rainbow or eating delicious food. Although my writings are inconsistent, it seemed meaningful to keep track of my changing personal values. I also upload photos taken with my phone and film camera.

An Seonghui: I post thoughts and experiences that are worth keeping. My posts consist of various topics including movie reviews, memorable phrases from books, photos taken with my cell phone and film camera, photos taken before emptying my possessions, and thoughts that suddenly come to mind. Last year, I received a peppermint pot from my friend and wrote a plant diary. The coexistence of writings that show the ordinary me and those that show the weird me is the unique feature of my blog.

Kim Doo Young: Since each post has its distinct purpose and is open to a different scope of audiences, my blog is a mixture of diverse materials. Public posts are mainly informative writings, such as reviews of products and restaurants. For posts only open to mutual friends, I record my personal thoughts and activities.

GT: Are you willing to continue using a blog?

Kim Dong Ju: I intend to continue blogging because being able to express oneself through writing seems as important as being able to read. As I improve my writing skills, I hope to handle more books, columns, and newspapers, and someday deliver my own insightful articles and meaningful implications.

An Seonghui: For now, I plan on using it for one or two more years since other groundbreaking digital platforms may emerge. Regardless of which website it is though, I wish to pursue recording pieces of my life, and I look forward to an entertaining lifestyle.

Kim Doo Young: I think I will continue blogging for the rest of my life. As an undergraduate, most of my posts have been about college life and extracurricular activities. I still have not decided what to record after graduating, but I consider using different blog channels such as Kakao’s Brunch and Tistory, depending on the writing genres.