I refuse to bait you into reading my work
Taking a step back from social media products, I’m noticing the trend of algorithms running companies into the ground. I, for one, used to enjoy Pinterest and Instagram until it became about gaming the algorithm and getting views. I deleted both and have not returned to them. Though if PayPal does end up purchasing Pinterest, then I may go back to them as they were a huge traffic source for my work with 40,000 views a month. That’s a big maybe, as compared to other platforms, it was the least fungible of the brands.
With great power comes great micromanaging
It’s becoming apparent that everyone wants their work seen, and few, if any, want to be second best. Algorithms can be useful if controlled; however, when clickbait becomes prime-time reading, people notice. Multiple factors over the last few months have made me pause and reflect. One of the biggest ones is seeing quality writers leaving places like this, which have seemingly lost their direction. E.g., Censorship and other qualities never make you look good when it comes to pushing or pulling a narrative.
In the stream of work I’ve done over the years, one thing remains true in many forms of work. With great power comes great micromanaging. Sadly, that is a trend of human behavior because, at the end of the day, many humans want control. If they didn’t, then any of the great human civilizations that vanished would still be around and not a stack of rocks in some barren place. I blame you, Josh Gates, and expedition unknown for that reference. There’s a psychological lesson in all of this going on in the digital world. I find the relevance like that of increased wealth. Wealth does not cause you to change, but it magnifies your character traits by many factors.
Anyhow, I’m not going to say never or ever about returning to many platforms because, frankly, I’m tired of eating crow. I will say that I will be posting more original work in other places because, as I wouldn’t say, I like the Google crawler bots; they let you be seen. At this point of my journey I’m defining what and where I play in the digital landscape because otherwise you become sucked in multiple directions and are likely to lose the reason you began the adventure. You control your digital lifestyle, and it should not be the other way around. Consider this as you go into your life.
Much love,
Luis
