Nearly 10 years after the slow and unceremonious death of mainstream blogging online, I am starting a new blog. This may seem an odd decision, and indeed I’ve questioned my sanity at several points along the way from idea to creation, but I’ve arrived at a simple conclusion: I miss the old internet. As the often misattributed saying goes, “be the change you want to see in the world.”
Social media has taken over the diecast collecting hobby, just as it has taken over so many aspects of our daily lives. While I won’t claim its effects are all bad, I have found that it has changed the way I interact with my collection in a negative way. Social media, by its very nature, is a popularity contest, and as such it prioritizes getting the latest, most expensive, most hyped casting. It incentivizes me to buy castings that I wouldn’t otherwise care about, and leads me to interact less deeply with my collection. Most of all, it makes what should be a collaborative and friendly hobby into a competitive and stressful burden.
So I’m taking a step back. Not a step back from collecting – I still love the cars – a step back in time. I long for the days when detailed, long form content ruled the internet. I long for the days when I took more time to experience and appreciate my collection, rather than hustling for the latest casting just to move on a day later. Through writing, I hope to engage more deeply with the cars I buy, as well as the ones I already own…and I hope you’ll find these writings help you rekindle your love of the diecast collecting hobby.
diecastleno.com 