71–80 of 347 posts
this phenomenon exists outside Twitter/X as well you know, Youtube is an example
>And yes, on the surface this incentivizes people to create better content. The better your content is, the more it gets seen, and the more money you make. And yet, my felt experience of this change is the exact opposite—as people seek more engagement, their content gets worse. What’s going on here? It always tickles me when terminally online people realize that human connection doesn't scale . It's valuable precisel…
>And yes, on the surface this incentivizes people to create better content. The better your content is, the more it gets seen, and the more money you make. And yet, my felt experience of this change is the exact opposite—as people seek more engagement, their content gets worse. What’s going on here? It always tickles me when terminally online people realize that human connection doesn't scale . It's valuable precisel…
I agree 100% with what you are saying, but I don't think you need a human connection to have good content. The encyclopedia Brittanica didn't establish a human connection, but it was a valuable resource. An ugly problem with an attention economy is that you are rewarded for seeming useful and interesting, but once the attention has been given, there is no incentive to actually deliver. So we get clickbait headlines a…
I don’t understand how there is such an assumed 1 to 1 relationship with getting lots of followers and making lots of money. Where the fuck is the money coming from??
Like, at one point, PJ talks about how he's witnessed people at the bar talking to a friend (purportedly), but in a format that seems to be talking to an imaginary twitter audience. The way people talk, communicate, quip, etc on twitter is bleeding into discourse OUTSIDE twitter. I tend to agree as I've seen this. Worse, when I use things like twitter, I find myself being unintentionally obtuse, contrarian, quippy, etc.
You are a product of what you consume. How deep of thoughts can be conveyed in 140/280 characters? And perhaps more importantly: does such a shallow medium give you a proper opportunity to explore your thoughts on a topic before you begin to formulate an opinion/response?
[0] https://pjvogt.substack.com/p/how-do-i-use-the-internet-now
People aren't authentic when they are talking to everyone on the planet at once, unless they are incredibly naive. They are authentic talking to their friends, or family, in private conversations. A lot of people were naive in the early days and it made for amusing conversation, not any longer and these platforms are just about brand management / advertising now.
One thing I've realized about social media, especially X/Twitter, is that it's not a singular place, that is you can have 4 feeds on twitter from different users that might as well be different social media platforms. I've noticed if you follow the "Indie Hackers" on X then you will get lots of self promotion (ie. "My startup just hit $X/MRR!!, here's how I did it: substack.com...."). On the other hand there are othe…
You'll note even he conforms to the algorithm, though. Just look at all of those video thumbnails with his face.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I feel like these conversations condense down to "the death of authenticity... if you want to make money/get mainstream." There's plenty of people doing it for free, but there's a melancholy from people who saw the myth of "being yourself and getting paid well for it" dissolve.
Selling Out has been going on forever...