On the narcissism of blogging

I was out having a post-clinic drink with a couple students (actually two good friends of mine) and let it slip that I had a blog.

Both exclaimed (almost in unison), "Blogs are so narcissistic! How self-centered to think that people want to read about your life and your opinions."

I faked an angry glare, scrunched up my face, and pretended I didn't care. But inside I wondered, was I narcissistic? And was blogging by nature narcissistic? It was something I'd worried about before I started writing this thing.  Who wants to sit around and read about what I think and what I do? 

They asked me if I'd read other people's blogs. I said "yes."

"What about people you don't know?"

I said "yes" again.  I said that I'd gotten notes from random people reading my blog also. I started writing this because I like writing and I think it's a good way for friends and family to know that I am functioning fine on the other side of the world. When I started this, I decided that I would be honest and real and if no one wanted to read it, well, I enjoy writing enough that it would be a pleasure to write it completely for myself. 

Back to the initial question though regarding my narcissism... I slept on it. My psyche would not let it go. While I was running (perhaps that 30km day) I thought, "Do you read literature? Do you enjoy films? How different are they from blogs?" Creativity, whether art, literature, music, or otherwise is deeply connected to the creator: their opinions, their life experiences. So by nature, we are all narcissistic. I don't think I'm much worse than any other.