Stop Sitting Alone At The Digital Table by Derek MacDonald
When your invitation never shows up, show up anyway.
Read on Substack
It feels harder than ever to be seen for who you are.
Having at least one social media profile has become expected for anyone looking to participate in society. The pressure to be seen is enormous. For many of us, one online account doesn’t feel like enough to be visible. And at the same time, it also feels like too much to maintain.
No?
Just me?
Ok, well… since the birth of social media, we’ve been told it’s the new gold rush. But Albert Gorithm is a total dick (you can call him Al). That guy’s playing God with who gets to see what you post. He and his AI buddies are slinging their services to the highest bidder (yes, of course the algorithm’s a dude… c’mon).
“Pick yourself up by your bootstraps” has metastasized into “just hit publish.” Swarms of people are confused about why they’re struggling to be seen online. This dangling carrot is why so many of us are frustrated. We’re told “anyone can grow a following online” and that “people will engage once you hit ‘post.’” But that’s a lie, and we’ve all accepted it without question...
onward.
-dmac