Is Everybody a Writer?

I suppose in a literal sense, everybody is a writer who can handle a writing implement, read, and has been taught how to make meaningful marks on paper. Have you noticed how many contests show up daily inviting all readers to submit their own personal stories? Sometimes there's a contest with monetary reward, sometimes the story had better prove the desirability of a product, sometimes the payoff is merely "publication," which might be on line or in print.

The problem I have with this is that I don't understand the attraction for the average computer user. We all have blogs, Facebook and other "social networking" sites available at all times. If we just want to make words public, they should be enough, shouldn't they? Is everyone equipped to provide free advertising copy, free publicity, free testimonials to people and firms whose interest has little or nothing to do with real writing, and less with literature? Even some publishers who solicit material from anyone willing to submit annoy me. I've given in to the hope of finding my work between hard covers myself, but on reflection, I wonder if these enterprises can provide the exposure serious writers are hoping for.

Is the large number of open submissions devaluing authorship?

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