What Has Replaced Blogging in 2022
The rise of TikTok- a short video-sharing platform- has led people to doubt blogging. Some people are afraid of starting a blog because they think such video-sharing platforms and social media platforms have replaced blogging.
However, with the right focus, it’s easy to realize that it’s not true. All you need is the right focus on building your blog.
In this post, we’ll explore what has replaced blogging.
Let’s get started
But first, what is blogging?
What is Blogging?
According to yourdictionary.com, blogging refers to the process of writing a blog, an online journal in which you share your thoughts about a subject with your readers.
Blogging started in the late 90s. It has grown massively over the years. To understand how fast its grown, here are some amazing statistics
There are over 500 million blogs.
In 2022, there will be over 1.7 billion websites. Out of these, over half a billion are blogs. This data is based on information from blogging platforms such as WordPress, blogger, medium, Tumblr, Squarespace, and Wix. The number is still growing.
The number of bloggers in the United States surpassed 31.7 million in 2020
With over 1.7 billion websites, it’s easy to conclude that most are bloggers. In the United States, the number of active bloggers has been growing rapidly. In 2020, it surpassed 31.7 million. This growth can be attributed to the need for organic traffic and building brand awareness.
Over 7 million blog posts are published daily.
With such a high number of blogs, it’s not surprising to note that over 7 million blog posts are published daily. This is a high number considering that most bloggers do not post daily.
77% of internet users regularly read blog posts
It’s easy to see people argue about who reads blogs nowadays. It’s easy to understand why. The majority of internet users don’t know they’re reading blogs. Over 77% read blogs. Many internet users are looking for informational content found in how-to posts, listicles, and buying guides.
With such statistics, do you still think blogging is dead? Let’s explore a few things that have replaced blogging.
What Replaced Blogging
Rise of video content
In the past, recording videos was an immense task. You required expensive cameras, large film rolls, and a production team to get started. However, things have changed drastically. With the increased production of iPhones and Android phones with great capabilities, anyone can record a high-quality video. Also, the increase in easy-to-use video editing software has made it possible.
Video blogging has grown over the years. However, the biggest change can be attributed to 2018.
This was the year when TikTok was launched. Since then, all has not been the same. Let’s explore a few video blogging platforms.
Youtube
Videos are the source of power that words cannot offer. Reading and comprehending posts takes a lot of time. However, with videos, it’s easy to get the message.
Youtube has been one of the best alternatives to blogging. It’s the best platform to learn and accomplish new projects. You’ll learn through visuals, and it’s much simpler to follow directions while the action takes place.
After Google, Youtube is the second largest search engine; its growth rate is increasing exponentially. Semrush projected it to grow by over 4.9% in 2021. Here are some interesting statistics.
- Over 1 billion total video watch hours per day
- Over 500 hours of video content are uploaded every minute
- 122 million active daily users
- Over 51 million active youtube channels
- Over 2.6 billion youtube users every month.
It’s worth noting that youtube introduced youtube shorts, which have greatly increased hours spent on youtube.
Tiktok
Founded in 2018, TikTok has revolutionized video content. Its main focus has been on short video format. Initially, it focused on 1-minute videos but has since bumped it to 10 minutes.
Tiktok has been growing rapidly. Here are some facts
- The Tiktok app has been downloaded over 2 billion times from google play store and AppStore.
- The average user spends 52 minutes each day
- Has over 1 billion users, despite it being banned in India, one of the most populous countries in the world.
So, has Tiktok replaced blogging?
NO. Just like other social media platforms, TikTok has complemented blogging. With the short videos, you can easily build brand awareness.
One of the notable impacts of TikTok has been on its main competitors- youtube, Facebook, and Instagram. For instance, youtube introduced youtube shorts, while Facebook has focused more on video content. Hence, the increase in video blogging can be attributed to TikTok.
Social Media
Technology has a disruptive effect on society. It was a time when blogging was the primary method of establishing credibility. However, now social media appears to be taking over its role, in addition to other things.
Facebook has been a blog alternative for quite some time.
Facebook is an effective platform that helps you connect with friends and build relationships. It’s grown so much that an individual or business can easily build a following through consistent posting.
Anyone can have a Facebook account. It’s even harder for businesses to resist having one as it helps build a brand name.
With a Facebook page or group, you can easily promote your content if more credible. One recommendation can greatly impact your product or service since it will be broadcasted to thousands of people for free.
While we can argue that Facebook has replaced blogging, it’s not entirely true.
On Facebook, you cannot post lengthy articles. You can only profit from short-form content, images, and video content. Also, your content doesn’t need to be targeted to a particular audience but should be inspiring.
Many people would argue that Instagram has replaced blogging. One reason is that it’s easier to build a following on Instagram than by blogging.
With a blog, you’ll have to work harder. You’ll need to publish long blog posts using images and video content to keep your readers engaged. With all this done, you’ll only attract a targeted audience. Those looking for such content.
However, with Instagram, it’s different.
All you have to do is harness the power of images. As the saying goes, a photo can speak a thousand words, and with excellent graphic design skills, you can easily build a following for your product on Instagram.
Unfortunately, Instagram doesn’t compare to blogging in any case. Instagram limits users on what they can share. For instance, you can’t share links to your product pages for subscribers to purchase your items.
Also, Instagram is not the ideal platform for certain files, such as academics. You’ll rarely expect to connect with a university or college on Instagram.
Photos, Images, And Idea Sharing
Technology advancements are great for people. With cheap android phones with quality cameras for taking photos and videos, it’s easy to note that photos, images, and idea-sharing have been on the rise.
Platforms such as Pinterest and apps such as Instagram, telegram, WhatsApp, and Snapchat have eased how photos and images are shared. People can share selfies, groupies, or memes from their smartphones.
Also, the increase in photo editing apps such as canva, gimp, photopeak, and photoshop have contributed to the rise.
In short, this is informal microblogging. It’s a quick way to connect with people across the globe, something not achievable with traditional blogs.
However, we can’t conclude that photo and image sharing has replaced blogging as you can’t share long-form content.
Podcasts
Podcasts are recorded audio files. It’s a different type of content that can work wonders for businesses. Podcasts started in 2004 but have been growing very fast in recent years. To put it in perspective,
- 32% of Americans listen to a podcast every month
- 51% of Americans have heard a podcast
- 29 million episodes have been published on apple podcasts
So, has listening to podcasts on Spotify and other podcast hosting sites replaced blogging?
One advantage of podcasts is that you can listen from your car or any location. You can also listen while doing other things. This is opposed to videos and blogs.
However, podcasts have not replaced blogging. Instead, they’ve complemented blogging. Bloggers with podcasts have reported an increase in rankings and user engagements.
Microblogging & Social Blogging
With the demand for information increasing daily, people have been looking for different ways to share short blog posts. The kind that can not be shared through Youtube, Facebook, and other social media platforms.
Alternative blogging platforms ideal for microblogging have come up. Some good examples are Tumblr and medium.
However, they can’t replace blogging. While they are good for brand awareness, they can’t replace blogging. These social blogging platforms have strict rules, if not adhered to, can lead to serious issues in the future.
Will any of the above replace blogging?
Any business can hardly survive without content marketing. Blogging is the easiest and best method to increase brand awareness while also increasing leads and sales.
The increase in demand for video content and podcasts has complemented blogging. You can easily feature them on your website. With great instructional videos, you can increase user engagement. You can include infographics, videos, images, and links to podcasts and YouTube in your blog posts.
Although blog failure stories are plenty, many blogs have success stories. It all depends on you.
