(no subject)

[sideways]

"Likes are nice but the reality is that they mean nothing as they do not help broaden an audience like reblogs do."

I do sometimes wonder whether this particular subset of online creators sees any discrepancy at all between frequently complaining that they don't get enough feedback and frequently complaining that the feedback they get is wrong. 'They mean nothing'. Spare me.

Comments

[syntheid]

I don't know what's going on on the fic side, but on the art side I feel like people are so desperate not just for an audience but specifically followers that will buy things, that a like is 'worthless' because it doesn't expand your reach.

Thinking about it, some people were talking about rec lists going away, and it seems like reposting replaced that. But it's definitely weird on art twitter-- people complain you should retweet instead of liking, but I end up muting retweets from people or unfollowing entirely if most of their feed is just others' work.

Not sure I have a real point...

[sideways]

Hm, I hadn't been considering the marketing as an actual business aspect, and that's a fair point. But then it ends up being even more a case of crossed wires since I (and presumably most others) am not on social media sites to be advertised to, even if that's depressingly how the mediums tend to be used the second they gain enough users to be considered a market. Also what other business gets away with sulking about how its consumers aren't actively promoting their business enough, good grief.

I'd like to see rec posts come back in again, though. I like the "we're all creators together, making each other feel good as a community" vibe better than the "beleaguered creator wrestling their ungrateful fanbase" vibe.

[syntheid]

Yeah, I don't agree with trying to guilt people like that, I just get where it's coming from. I mean nobody's *wanting* to get advertised to anywhere, also, ahah. It's always something that gets inserted in as like a price for admission to get the actual entertainment we want. But really most businesses operate via social media marketing now, so like. All of them probably have similar thoughts, it's just more vital for each individual potential view for smaller businesses than for a corporation that's already well-established and individuals are run by people who take things personally (for better or worse). Like, really it all comes down to the entire world is now predominantly a late-stage capitalistic society, and it sucks.

I've got a few people that post rec posts on my list. fanart_recs has been going the whole time, too, there's probably similar stuff for fic somewhere?

[sideways]

Ahah, another fair point. I suppose it's because it feels like... thanks to ye olde forum upbringing I go in expecting us to all be milling around on equal footing at the party, and then someone suddenly shoves their Tupperware catalogue under my nose and starts pitching it at me and getting offended if I don't show interest. Like, come on man, it's a social event, what's this about.

But as you say, that's just the norm now. Blech blech.