Over the years, we have seen many internet fads peak and trough, with the online Study community being one of them. Correct me if I'm wrong, but being a study blogger myself, I couldn't help but notice how much the hype that previously surrounded the community seems to have died down. This led me to wonder, is the study blogger dying? If so, why? Today's blog post is a non-serious exploration of just that. I hope you enjoy this read, and I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
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The Content Issue
Let's be honest, there's only so much content that you can make as a study blogger. The world of education is changing, yes, but even with the shift to online learning, there are only so many tips that you and I could give before repeating ourselves. And if we don't repeat ourselves, it's very likely that we'll be repeating the advice coming from thousands of other study bloggers. As such, it's not surprising that the community has not been receiving as much momentum.
If that wasn't enough, what we've got to keep in mind is that we're only students for so long — and that's even if we do take on a post-grad to delay adulthood for just a few more years. Many of the big names of the study community — and indeed their audiences — have now grown up and entered the world of work. Naturally, this means that many are no longer uploading study content and have opted to either call it quits altogether or re-brand their platform, and while some will still be interested in this content, many will inevitably leave.
If that wasn't enough, what we've got to keep in mind is that we're only students for so long — and that's even if we do take on a post-grad to delay adulthood for just a few more years. Many of the big names of the study community — and indeed their audiences — have now grown up and entered the world of work. Naturally, this means that many are no longer uploading study content and have opted to either call it quits altogether or re-brand their platform, and while some will still be interested in this content, many will inevitably leave.
Our Shifting Attitudes to Work
One of the greatest impacts of the pandemic, I would argue, is the real shift it has brought to both our attitudes to work and what the workplace comprises. Many have enjoyed the added flexibility provided by working from home, or being in the office part-time. More drastically, we have also seen a rise in the "I don't dream of labour" narrative, with many of us seemingly realising that we'd rather not work at all. If you're interested to hear more about this, I would recommend watching this YouTube video by Alice Cappelle.
Needless to say, these changes challenge many of the key ideas propagated by the study community, intentional or not. At the top of the list has to be the 24/7 "hustle culture" — 17 hour study day, anyone? Some study bloggers adapted to this shift, with Ali Abdaal springing to mind in particular. Even then, much of the damage had already been done, with many articles being published about the toxic side to the community, such as this one by Lucyhasablog. Besides, going back to the point above, how many productivity tips can we give before we're beating a dead horse?
You see, when you think about it, the study community bears striking similarities with the self-help sector. You can read Robert Kiyosaki's "Rich Dad Poor Dad" over and over again, but you're not going to see your financial situation improve unless you put the advice into practice. The same thing applies to studying; the longer you spend your time fixating on crafting the perfect study techniques, the longer you spend procrastinating the bit that actually needs doing: studying. Nowadays, I think a lot of people are starting to clock on to this, and so, naturally, the community's spotlight is beginning to fade.
Needless to say, these changes challenge many of the key ideas propagated by the study community, intentional or not. At the top of the list has to be the 24/7 "hustle culture" — 17 hour study day, anyone? Some study bloggers adapted to this shift, with Ali Abdaal springing to mind in particular. Even then, much of the damage had already been done, with many articles being published about the toxic side to the community, such as this one by Lucyhasablog. Besides, going back to the point above, how many productivity tips can we give before we're beating a dead horse?
You see, when you think about it, the study community bears striking similarities with the self-help sector. You can read Robert Kiyosaki's "Rich Dad Poor Dad" over and over again, but you're not going to see your financial situation improve unless you put the advice into practice. The same thing applies to studying; the longer you spend your time fixating on crafting the perfect study techniques, the longer you spend procrastinating the bit that actually needs doing: studying. Nowadays, I think a lot of people are starting to clock on to this, and so, naturally, the community's spotlight is beginning to fade.
The Social Media Cycle
Although there is a clear case to be made for the study community losing popularity, it's important to look at the flip side of the argument. Certainly, it could be said that it's not so much a loss of popularity as it is content creators shifting platforms. This isn't a new concept; in fact, it's been around as long as the online study community itself. First we had the #studyblr, then the studygram, studytube, and most recently studytok. If we're going by analytics alone, the hashtag #studytok on TikTok has received over 1 billion views alone — hardly indicative of a dying community. Perhaps the study blogger isn't dying and we're just getting a bit old to keep up with the changes.
To conclude, I think it's fair to say that study blogging as we know it is changing. It has to; study bloggers have to evolve in response to some of the key changes that we are beginning to see as we head towards our new post-pandemic world. However, to say that study blogging is dying would be a stretch, to say the least. There are plenty of study bloggers emerging on new platforms; they're just not the big names we grew up with. Do you think the study blogger is dying? Let me know in the comments below.
