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ken terry's avatar

You are so very right on this. And the push to "sell" has led to a lot less quality or accuracy in the 'products' sold. Ironically this is happening at a time when people are less and less inclined to do the research and dig deep enough to separate the wheat from the chaff.

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Jake Wiskerchen's avatar

Good reflections. I (and others in my circle) have been wrestling with this concept for some time now, and I think you've squared it pretty well. The whole thing just seems a bit "off," a bit inauthentic if you will, and the artifice I think is caused - and perpetuated - by the performative aspect of the platforms. We're required to put on our acting faces and be in sales mode, almost constantly.

This will sound like I'm blowing my own horn and inflating my own ego, but I don't think I am, so take it for what it's worth. What bugs me is that I'm trying to be real, trying to be authentic, trying to make my interactions personal and not transactional. I don't want to be in constant sales mode, perpetually eyeballing how I'm "branding" myself, and yet if I don't, I don't get traction. Impressions drop, reposts diminish, subscribers remain low. Sensationalism, hot takes, clout chasing, and niche fulfillment seem to win; consistency and reliability lose.

So what is one to do? I have faith that eventually the human soul will grow weary of the performances and the limbic system will become exhausted with the constant emotional spikes. Eventually people will return to anchored, principled sanity. Those of us who resisted the urge to pursue fleeting exhilaration over integrous reliability will be rewarded. I hope I don't give over to the dark side before that occurs.

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