Subnostr

Everyone posting their profit screenshots and how-to threads on X…of course part of me is like, I gotta start tweeting so I can get paid too!

But I don’t think I have the energy for another go-around. All the threads sound the same - worded to grab attention and seem valuable, but really just optimized for the latest algo update.

People reply because they want to get paid, and OPs reply because they want to get paid. Little of it is valuable or genuine. All of it is designed to keep you sucking the teat.

I felt this excitement years ago when YouTube opened monetization up to basically all creators. It was thrilling to see real money (a few cents) trickle in based on something I’d done online. But then creator content became increasingly commoditized and homogenized (both naturally and intentionally through things like the YouTube Creator Academy) with generic calls-to-action (don’t forget to like, comment, subscribe, and hit the bell icon!!!), god-awful clickbait thumbnails & titles, and algo-driven choices like not swearing in the first minute or making the video just over 10 minutes. And of course, the ads, the ads, the ads.

I don’t know whether to lay the blame at the feet of advertising, money, or human nature. But I do know I don’t have the energy to play the game.

Dash 2y ago

Really interesting observation well-articulated. Hadn't thought about how these new incentives on X would further erode content on that platform. You Tube is so annoying. I'm careful to stick with subscriptions only and ignore algo generated recommendations, but recently one of my favorite creator's content has become unbearable as he's obviously just focussing on the "top of the funnel" with trashy click-bait titles, soy face thumbnails, and a load of "shorts". Such a shame.

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Discussion

Dash 2y ago

Also, sorry to be vulgar, but I do wonder if maybe the creators being encouraged to do the "about to go down for a blow job / soy face" is about Google asserting a demonic sort of dominance over the good men and women creators just trying to make a living on that hellish platform.

brad 2y ago

I wish it were dominance, because that would mean the company is responsible and a decentralized alternative would solve it. Sadly I think it’s human nature (‘see emotional face, feel same emotion/want to find out why they’re emotional’), but perhaps a decentralized alternative at least won’t pour rocket fuel on the fire by selling ads and dangling a sliver of those profits to creators