Reflecting on the destructive impact fame has had on countless online personalities, local blogger Jenna Stevens has vowed not to let the accolades of her 17 Wordpress followers go to her head.
“When you have thousands--even millions--of fans telling you that you’re the next big thing, it’s so easy to develop an ego that’s out of control,” muses Stevens while refreshing her continually changeless Stats and Insights page. “It really can feel like everyone wants a piece of you.”
Stevens, who to date has published close to 80 blog posts, has seen a surge upward of 3 followers in just the last eight weeks, as well as 4 likes on a single post. While she admits she was initially swept up in the excitement, the young author was careful to temper her emotions with some needed humility.
“Yeah, so it looks like my vegan chili recipe finally gained some traction,” Stevens smiles, cross-armed at her desk. “And yes, I’m siked about it. But whatever doors this opens up for me, I will never lose sight of where I started.” Deleting spam marketing prepaid debit cards from her Comments section, she continues: “Because as high as I’ve climbed, I can always fall back to the bottom.”
The former Journalism major has covered all manner of topics in her blog, from local and national politics to pop culture to digital technology and, more recently, vegan meals you can cook in a crockpot. Like most in the limelight, Stevens contends that her journey toward popularity got off to a slow start.
“The first 60 pieces were pretty touch-and-go,” she explains. “You get a ‘great job XXOO Aunt Shelly’ or a ‘co8l’ in the comments every dozen posts or so, and it’s this rush that you just keep chasing. You're always hoping for that next fix. And then the chili recipe comes around--post #67--and I get a ‘like’ and break into the double-digits with followers.” Taking a drag from an enormously long cigarette, the young writer concludes: “That’s when I knew this was all going somewhere.”
At press time, Stevens feels profound betrayal at discovering her Aunt Shelly unfollowed her during the course of this interview, diminishing her base to a paltry sixteen.
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