It can be quite confounding! If it is not always easy to identify a homeless person, then it is much more challenging to clearly define never mind spot a blogger. On hearing someone tell them they are bloggers, Russian pensioners frequently answer back "What is a blogger? What exactly do you do? Is blogging a profession? Is there a college which exists where you can train to become a blogger?"
If bloggers baffle you, feel free to join the club. The fact that bloggers are frequently confused with journalists, video game reviewers, and comedians does not make answering those questions any easier.
I have come across very young students of 10 or 11 who tell me their ambition is to become a blogger. When I ask them why they tend to reply, "I like working with computers, it sounds like a fun job and you can make a lot of money making short films if you get enough subscriptions." In fact, many see bloggers as heroes to emulate. Children of 12 and less tend to know the names of bloggers more than some famous ice hockey players.
WHAT IS A BLOGGER?
So what is a blogger? When one reader of the American journalist Jim Vail was called a blogger he did not take it as a compliment. On the contrary he decided to correct the reader with an article titled 'I am not a blogger' {“Second City Teachers,” November 13, 2023}. In the article Jim Vail pointed out that he had trained as a journalist and worked for many newspapers in America and beyond. In contrast to a blogger he states, “We have to source our opinion. It can't be based on rumor, hearsay or opinion.” He further added how reporters have to build up sources from the inside. He states that he had always considered blogging was just commenting about published articles but found an on-line definition which calls a blogger ‘someone who simply has a blog in a regularly updated website or web page that is written in an informal or conversational style.'
Yevgeni who is a Russian businessman based in Moscow also agrees with Jim Vail that bloggers are not journalists. "The difference between a journalist and a blogger is the former is a profession or trade. A journalist needs to do training to learn how to work well with information and show it in a clear way. You have to be smart and know about the subject you write about. To become a plumber you need 2 years training, an engineer, about 5 or 6 years. With a blogger you are showing your own interest or life. You are showing interests and hobbies of your own life. If a blogger films pranks for his amusement or shows off his latest car that is not journalism but bullshit. I don't like the comparison with bloggers and journalists. I don't agree with people who say, “Bloggers are in, Journalists are out.'" Yevgeni claims that "Bloggers don't want people to think but just follow them."
Maria, a Russian who works for corporate media told me "People who claim that people don't buy newspapers anymore don't know what they are talking about. Huge corporations in Russia are still printing and distributing newspapers in Russia."
Yevgeni told me he knows some bloggers and finds them very pleasant and good people. One of the bloggers he knows is called Subo who tends to make amusing films based on pranks. Subo is a 24-year-old blogger who adores expensive fast cars and enjoys a vibrant social life. He has approximately 2 million subscribers. When a bemused father of Yevgeni asked Subo “What is a blogger and how does he earn his money?” he answered, "I make and show films and make money mainly from advertising." But Subo also happens to be a talented musician and believes it is important to be very creative.
SUBO'S TRICKS
You never know when or where a blogger might surface. According to Norse and Greek mythology the gods often posed as beggars and roamed among humans to test how generous they were. In Homer's Odyssey, Athene turns Odysseus into a beggar so he can slyly enter his palace and avenge the suitors. He is treated badly by the suitors who are rude, vulgar, and mean.
Yevgeny told me that some young people treat bloggers as if they were God. Well Subo, decided to test the generosity of people by pretending to be a homeless beggar. He went to all kinds of restaurants and places in Moscow asking for money. The ' beggar' was largely luckless! Only a delivery man gave him 100 rubles. Of course, Subo could not take his money, handed it back and told him "You are a very good man." Then he gave him an expensive I phone worth about 100,000 rubles. What the confused delivery man did with the I-phone is anyone's guess.
Another of Subo's pranks was when people ordered a taxi someone arrived in a luxury car or yellow Rolls Royce to pick them up. The people who ordered the taxi were taken aback and told the driver "There must be some mistake. We did not order such a taxi. We cannot afford this!" And of course, viewers love to watch all this. It can be hilarious for some. You might conclude from the former prank that it only goes to prove poor people are more generous than richer people.
The American writer John Steinbeck once stated "If you are in trouble, or hurt, or need- go to the poor people. They are the only ones that help, the only ones." I think this is an overstatement. I certainly don't think pranks played by some bloggers warrant such conclusions because the number of people they approach is so limited. Let's not make broad generalizations about behavior based on anecdotal evidence. You can find a lot of academic research for and against this conclusion. For example, researchers at Queen Mary University of London set up a social experiment where the participants played games for real money. The researchers discovered those who were from poorer backgrounds tended to contribute more money than those from richer ones.
There is a belief that a poorer person is more likely to help a poorer person because his own direct experience of hardship sharpens his sense of empathy. But any study of Russian history shows that affluent merchants and noblemen in the past certainly could be very generous with their hospitality, and gave much help to the poor. In regard to whether a person might or might not help you, it is better to give the benefit of the doubt. Social class does not determine their response. Life brims with the unexpected.
COMPARING ATHLETES WITH BLOGGERS
What is certain is that among younger people, bloggers are often more admired than athletes. Yevgeni told me that whereas people of middle age and older will tend to be able to spot a famous athlete such as an ice hockey player in the streets, young people of twelve and under won't. They are more likely to spot a blogger on the streets. "When I was invited to a special V.I.P. reception at a football match with my 10-year-old son at the Dinamo football stadium in Moscow just before the pandemic we met a lot of famous ice hockey players and bloggers. To be honest I did not know any of those bloggers. My son did. He wanted the autograph of one of the most famous bloggers during the break. All the young children were gaping at those famous bloggers. But the blogger himself wanted the autograph of my brother-in-law the ice hockey player Alexander Ovechkin. At first when I approached this blogger with colored hair I felt strange. But he turned out to be a very pleasant man and things turned out well. We posed for photos together. Later, when all the bloggers went home from one restaurant my son started to complain that he was tired and wanted to go home. I told him "Are your crazy? Can't you see we are sitting at a table with the most famous Russian ice hockey players? Do you know how many people dream of this?" But he failed to convince his son! He missed the bloggers!
You might think that with all this attention given to bloggers that the ice hockey players such as Alexander Ovechkin might be able to eat their meals in peace and go for a carefree walk without being followed by admirers. That would be mistaken. If famous ice hockey players turn up in countries where ice hockey is a traditional sport then they can be spotted on the streets. That is in countries such as America, Canada, and Sweden.
In Russia, though players and actors can be identified, local people are often too shy to approach them and more often just leave them in peace. They don't get so excited about seeing famous people.
Yevgeni told me that on one Greek island he was dining out with Ovechkin. They thought they were unlikely to be recognized because ice hockey is not a popular sport in Greece. However, Swedish tourists recognized him and he ended up posing for photos with his fans. In addition, Yevgeni told me how in Italy when he and Ovechkin were on their way to a supermarket they heard someone screaming: "We heard this loud screaming. We thought that someone had experienced an accident or was having a heart attack. So we ran up to this man who was shouting to help him. But it turned out that he was an American tourist shouting hysterically because he recognized Alexandr Ovechkin and could not believe he had met him in person." Yevgeni can now see the funny side of things.
Despite the rising popularity of bloggers, some people can still spot famous athletes.
So much for having a quiet meal in a restaurant or going for a peaceful stroll!