First talk

Hey there! For my very first blog post, I really wanted to talk about why I write. Years ago, I had this little, obscure blog on Blogfa. Back in high school and college, I used to write just for my own heart, and as the cool kids of that era used to say, I’d drop by other people’s “humble abodes” (their blogs) too. Years passed, and around the late 2000s, the rise of social networks like Cloob, Facebook, Google+, Instagram, and Twitter made blogging fade into the background. 
These platforms were flashy, offered a ton of features, and let you satisfy your curiosity—and let’s be real, your nosiness!—super fast and “in the moment.” I pretty much started from scratch on all these networks, writing away until, for one reason or another, I gradually built up a bigger audience. On Cloob, I was just a kid writing about university life. On Google+, I poured my heart out about living abroad, Italy, and loneliness (man, G+ had such a tragic death). On Twitter, I became known during the Plasco tragedy, and on Instagram, I was always sharing my photos. 
Well, it was incredibly exciting at first; I made a bunch of friends and discovered endless possibilities. I’ll never forget the day I randomly went to Mehrabad Airport when Mr. Rouhani was arriving, and by sheer coincidence, I captured the moment a shoe was thrown at him and posted it on Twitter. That was the day I truly grasped the power of Twitter and how a single photo could reach global media in a matter of minutes. 
The 2010s slipped away on these social platforms, and I slowly realized I was addicted to them. The worst part was that my income was tied to my social media presence, which meant I couldn’t just sit in peace and read a book or focus deeply on a project like I used to in the old days. Since the start of the new decade, things got much more intense. Social media got crowded with a lot of uninvited guests, self-censorship took over me more than ever, and I learned the hard way that I needed to stay silent in many places so I wouldn’t get hurt (I definitely made my fair share of mistakes in my reactions, too). Long story short, as I got older and entered my thirties, I felt like I just didn’t enjoy this fast-paced, fleeting space like I used to. Because honestly, it was really hard to cram what’s on your mind into two or three lines for 40,000 followers without facing some weird and scary reactions. 
So, I just tried to stop writing, stop talking, stay quiet, and retreat into my own shell. But at the same time, that itch to write and share my thoughts and concerns never left me. 
Anyway, I said all this just to tell you that I’m planning to write here on my website’s blog every now and then. I’ve set a few rules for myself too: I’ll try my best not to write reactive pieces or jump on daily trending topics (well, as much as possible!). I’ll try not to write anything that ends up getting me thrown into a burlap sack! I’ll try to write for myself with less censorship, keeping the audience’s judgment out of my head much more than I did on social media. In a way, it’s like a practice notebook for me here. It’s something I used to do a lot back in my teenage years and at the Kanoon, and now I feel like my inner voice is calling out for it more than ever. 
Basically, I’m really happy you’re here reading this. I hope I can put my laziness aside and keep writing consistently. Kisses! 
I’m also dedicating this very first blog post to my dear, unseen friend, Sattar, who loved to write.