I recall a conversation I had where someone (call them A) commented that some other person (call them B) had developed some ideas, then afterwards found academic sources agreeing with these ideas (or at least, seeming compatible), and cited these as sources in the blog post write-ups of these ideas.
FWIW I’ve heard enough people admit to this practice, and enough secondhand accounts which I consider reliable, that I think it’s *extremely* common, and not just in blog posts. I’ve also had many different people comment on my work asking me to add academic citations (not asking for support of a specific point they thought needed justification; just asking for academic citations in general), so I can see where the temptation to do this would come from.
FWIW I’ve heard enough people admit to this practice, and enough secondhand accounts which I consider reliable, that I think it’s *extremely* common, and not just in blog posts. I’ve also had many different people comment on my work asking me to add academic citations (not asking for support of a specific point they thought needed justification; just asking for academic citations in general), so I can see where the temptation to do this would come from.