What has changed in blogging in the past 15 years

When I started blogging back in 2010, it was with the simple intention of documenting my PhD journey. I had kept a blog on MySpace before (consider me Old), and I had a blog about my experience as an international student at Georgia Tech. I didn’t know where PhD Talk would take me. I didn’t imagine that this little blog would grow into a long-standing platform, or that I’d one day be writing monthly columns for AcademicTransfer, guest posting for international platforms like jobs.ac.uk, and giving lectures at universities on academic parenting and research skills.

But 15 years is a long time. In internet years, it’s almost a generation. The online academic landscape has changed in ways both subtle and radical. While I still blog regularly and enjoy the writing process, I also observe the shifts around me: in platforms, priorities, and the nature of online academic engagement.

Here’s a reflection on what has changed in academic blogging since I started:

The golden age of blogs has passed: Back in the early 2010s, blogging was the core of academic online presence. There was a vibrant community on Blogger and WordPress. We’d read each other’s posts, leave comments, and build informal networks across disciplines and continents. That sense of connection has faded. Many blogs have gone dormant, and the once-active ecosystem is quieter now.
Social media replaced the longform blog: Microblogging and social media platforms have taken over as the default place for academic discourse. Instead of a reflective post, you’re more likely to see a thread, a meme, or a selfie with some notes.
X (formerly Twitter) has taken a nosedive: What used to be a space for academic exchange, conference livetweeting, and sharing new blog posts is gone bad after Musk’s takeover. I rarely post there anymore.
LinkedIn has grown into an academic platform: Surprisingly, the place where I’ve seen the most growth is LinkedIn. What was once a static resume space now hosts active professional discussion.
AI-generated content floods the web: A lot of blogs and social media posts these days feel very generic, and the culprit is the rise of AI-generated content. Give me an authentic post every day, any day, with some rejected-proposal-rage infused in it, and a handful of typos. I’ll take it over this generic lukewarm polyanna muck.
Blogger stopped working well: The Blogger platform, which once powered so many academic blogs (including the first ten years of PhD Talk), has been in slow decline. Many bloggers migrated to WordPress, set up personal websites instead, or just left alltogether.
The era of the academic vlogger has faded: A few years ago, YouTube saw a rise in academic vloggers sharing their rants, research tips, and days in the life. Maybe I just lost interest in YouTube in recent years, but I don’t think the academic vlogs are still a thing.
Metrics have stabilized.: On my blog, traffic and engagement have remained fairly consistent over the years. I still post twice a week, and my loyal readers remain (thank you! I appreciate you!).