(on-island, currently-residing, and born and raised here) bloggers do not get the same exposure (if any at all) as off-island writers popping up on the more highly-traversed feeds that already have an established following and wider audience. the immediate social media pool is far narrower and docile...and i hypothesize it is so because social media tendencies seem to gravitate toward those which require less of an attention span (such as snapchat, instagram, tumblr, vines... and all of which i have yet to partake in)....and are catering to a very young demographic.
recent multiple published articles have led me to reflect on the divisive impact of non-native (neither born or raised on Guam) writers and bloggers that have been posting their self-proclaimed expert opinions on the internet (links to follow!)...causing a ripple of defensive and ugly commentary in response. my off-island/mainland worlds came colliding when, after sharing an article authored by a blogger that elicited a reaction, resulted in a very friendly luncheon where we knowingly agreed to disagree. (will have to elaborate later...)
the blogger's headlining gripe that incited strong opinion was her description of Guam as a "food desert", so isolated from resources that the sad selection of groceries left her uninspired and forever compromising her cooking. as a newly-moved former mainlander, I completely empathize with the frustration of having to scavenge through several stores to make a specific recipe. even with local recipes, it is a challenge finding all the right ingredients in one place, but a desert would not be my first description in prophesizing to the entire universe through food52's feed. there is no question that foodies have to put their work in to find that perfect balance, but making an outright declaration about the lack of ingredients combined ends up punishing the island's reputation as a result of her lazy reporting.
admittedly, i did not have a sole part in what lead to meeting the blogger in person. it just so happens that my friends are far more outspoken and influential than i am and i ultimately took on a passive stance as time progressed, mostly because i still feel like a transient having just moved here. the meeting was congenial but we found no indication that our influence would change the blogger's personal view...redemption was not in sight.
