Sometimes I think the decline of blogging coincided with the rise of the corporate blog, and with that the sense if you couldn’t blog under a paying banner it was perceived as a vanity plate, as less than serious, as even embarrassing, despite plenty of evidence to the contrary.
I don’t think it’s that complex, though. I’ve come to think the decline of the blog is, indeed, simply a matter of social media, on which you can say far less and receive far more of a response. The ratio is disproportionate, and blogging against that tide is tough going.
Hasn’t deterred me. Been at it since 1996, before “blog” was a recognized word. I continue to recommend blogging (in essence: writing a public journal), and have been happy to see activism in favor of blogging on the upswing lately.