The internet is the home of many strange and wondrous things. You can find facts you never knew, games you never thought you cared to play or music you never knew was released. The entire world is at your fingertips when using the web, some of it good, and as I’ve written on before, some of it bad.The other day my girlfriend showed me a video at which she was particularly appalled. It came from a girl’s “fashion blog,” which seemed nothing more than an excuse for a 16-year-old girl to talk about what she was wearing.

In just under four agonizing minutes she discussed what she was wearing that day, why she was wearing it and how her followers could be just as fashionable as she was. After it was done, the question was raised, “Who cares about what you’re wearing to your dad’s birthday dinner?”

No matter what your stance on this particular video, the fact of the matter is that this one girl’s “fashion blog” is wildly popular on Tumblr. Based on the number of recognitions that one video has, it was clear that she had followers way into the triple, possibly quadruple digits.

This is not always the case, however. There are meaningful blogs out there, blogs whose posts are filled with self-reflection and meaning. Some would argue that the point of a blog is, as I said before, self-reflection. It can be a place to vent and get thoughts on paper, which can have healing purposes. You can learn a lot about yourself by keeping track of a personal blog.

Also, certain artistic or news-oriented blogs can deliver interesting, fun and unique works directly to your dashboard. In these ways, Tumblr can be a great site.

Sadly, this usually isn’t the case. Upon browsing more, I realized the number of angst-filled ramblings by pubescent teens which are receiving support and acclaim from the Tumblr crowd is disgusting. The site is, on the whole, a place for people to find self-worth in the number of followers they gain.

Why in the world do 16-year-old girls think the world needs to hear their sage advice on fashion? Why do people post obscure headlines in the hope of receiving reassuring words from followers? Why do people even care how many followers their personal blog has?

It seems to all boil down to this: the internet has raised everyone’s level of perceived self-importance. Everyone, whether consciously or unconsciously, has been affected in this way. Some cases are more extreme than others, and a site like Tumblr gives those extreme cases a place to show themselves.

The age of the internet has made everyone think that what he or she has to say is worth hearing for everyone. Unfortunately, the internet is filled with people who are sadly mistaken.

Next time you’re going to post on your blog, before you post, think about whether you’re saying something that is really worth being heard.