why blog and why Bear?
I've been on several social media platforms since the mid-2000s: Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and Substack. They've all pretty drastically morphed into algorithmic cesspools of advertisements, entertainment "news" stories (loaded with more advertisements), and brain rot videos. I got on Facebook in 2008 when I was in junior high, back when people actually shared their thoughts--of course, our thoughts were "just watched a squirrel eat out of my neighbor's trash can! h0w kuul amirite?!" but it was still worthwhile.
But for many years now, "social" media has been less social and more rage bait and advertisements.
I like that Bear is all about long-form content and nothing else. I appreciate the anonymity here (if desired). I like that there isn't a comments section (unless you want to add one). I like that there's nothing else to do on this platform except to read and write. Re-blogging or re-posting without adding your own thoughts or reflections, the standard operating procedure for all other social media platforms, isn't meaningful, in my opinion. Bear blog doesn't have that feature, and it's for the better.
Writing on Bear is also a very enjoyable experience. Trying to write on social media platforms means it's easy to get distracted by random posts, most of which are either depressing, infuriating, or otherwise uninspiring. But while writing on Bear, I still sometimes get distracted by other posts but they're almost always worthwhile, meaningful, and inspiring.
I've also found that sharing my thoughts on Bear helps me improve my writing. Robert Birming wrote a post called the invisible audience where he talked about how he's spending three times as much effort on creating his Bearming theme for others than he would for himself.
Since it's meant for an audience, I'm paying extra attention to details. I want to ship good quality, not something that's merely 'good enough,' like when it's only for me.
Translated to his blog, he writes,
For the same reason, I prefer sharing my writing on a blog. It makes me a better writer, even if I'm the only one who notices. An audience sharpens me, even when they're invisible.
It's rare to find corners of the internet like this anymore, where it's simple but meaningful. That's why I'm here, blogging in 2026 on a relatively unknown platform. It's just plain old fun!