Bend Over Bitch, It’s Time for a Breakdown
An Audience of None: Live By The Algorithm, Die By The Algorithm
We’ll get to the bending over bit when I wrap this all up. Wow, that’s oddly polite considering the context. Anyway …
This was a post I knew I was going to make at some point.
Also, do not confuse this with complaining. I am fully aware of what I’ve done to my online presence and I’m here for it.
I’m just giving you a reality check via a cautionary tale.
I Was So Innocent Back Then
Years ago I started a YouTube channel, mainly talking about psychology (MBTI specifically, and to my fellow INFJs, Congratulations and I’m Sorry). It was great fun, I had a blast. Gathered up close to 20,000 subs. I enjoyed coming up with some INFJ-oriented content (for those of you who don’t know what that is … you know what, you have AI and the internet, you don’t need my half-assed explanation).
I realized early on that if I talked about being an author on my YouTube channel, the views plummeted. Dropped down to near-zero. So I started changing how I approached content. I rolled in little tidbits about writing, but always through the lens of MBTI. This allowed me to retain the audience, and roll in - VERY slowly - a new perspective.
The result?
My debut novel, The Caretaker, launched to banger reviews and great sales.
Because I didn’t panic.
Lesson One - Patience
Social algorithms are built for a specific purpose. Remember that these are companies that harvest your data. Every click. Every second spent on an image. Every question about a product or service. Every follow of a celeb. Every mention you make in messages, posts, or DMs. Your location. Your check-ins.
All of it.
Bought. Sold. Leveraged. Because you are currency.
Just like an investment portfolio, companies shift and move data around in an effort to maximize the earning potential of the data. And it’s not some pencil-necked dweeb in a suit doing it, it’s a programmed algorithm consuming mind-boggling amounts of training data.
Understanding this is key to understanding what happens on the socials …
… and it’s the key to relaxing about it.
Lesson Two - Popularity Contests
That’s really all the internet is, right? Who gets the likes, who gets the reactions, who gets the engagement. Every thumbs-up, every re-post, ever second on one of your videos or shorts, all of it assigns you a behind-the-scenes value to the algorithm.
People love to engage with your content?
Congratulations, you’re a high-value stock in the behind-the-scenes human commodity game. It doesn’t mean you’re a decent human, either. You can be an absolute shit-bag and be a money-maker.
Like this dude.
So how do the algorithms alter your behavior in order to keep you as a money maker?
You’re being trained, and most folks don’t even realize it.
Lesson Three - WHAT’S IN THE BOX? Oh. It’s you.
Because of this money-making algorithmic machine behind everything you do or say online, and the urge to keep you as a money-making algorithmic machine, you get placed into a box.
Post about author stuff and writing?
You’re in the author box.
Post about politics and social issues?
You’re in the politics box.
Post about hentai and tentacle porn?
Get off of reddit.
Post about baking cookies and grandma’s favorite poundcake recipe?
Please remember to clear your internet history because tentacle cookies and hentai poundcake is fuckin’ weird, bro.
All of this to say that as long as you keep staying the course in terms of who you are and what you do, you’ll find traction and success over time on the socials. The more output and engagement from a particular group or community, the more you get seen, the bigger you grow.
You ARE the investment portfolio for Meta, X, Google, etc.
You aren’t human. You aren’t an individual. You are sets of numbers. That’s why none of these companies have a support desk worth a shit.
So … what happens when you stop producing?
Lesson Four - Apathy
I was going to call this section “Punishment” but that would mean companies are acting with some sort of malice against you and your online presence.
They aren’t. See above. They don’t care, don’t know you, have no stake in your existence.
They feed profit. That’s it. It’s stone cold, and I respect it. Someday the robot overlords will stop by your home and murder you because you are a net drain on their existence, but we’re not living in the caves under the machine world just yet (Canada’s pretty close though, but only because they’re cheering you on as you kill yourself so their politicians can keep more of your tax money).
I’ve posted recently about how “Author” doesn’t suit me anymore. It’s only a fraction of who I am and what I do.
Author? Yes. Bestseller. Twice. Absurdist fiction. SPACE PEW PEW, ya’ll.
Narrator? Yes. Non-Fiction audiobook, Joy-Jitsu.
Showrunner? Yes. Anime. Tokyo Starchild.
Show Host? Yep. Mirth Quake’s got that covered.
Record Producer? Damn straight. And proud as fuck about it. Give it a listen.
Content Creator? Yup. Written (here) and utilizing AI and video, like this. By any measure, this is an impressive resume for a creative, and one I’m very proud to have. Even if it destroys my engagement.
You see, I don’t fit in a box. Algorithms have a hard time turning me into a commodity.
Put me in the author box? I start talking about music. Throttled.
Put me in the music box? I start talking about Mirth Quake. Throttled.
Put me in the politics box? Fuck off.
Put me in the anime box? I start talking about being an author. Throttled.
So they stop caring.
How do I know this?
Lesson Five - BEND OVER BITCH, IT’S TIME FOR A BREAKDOWN.
Let me introduce you to AbSynth Samurai … (And yes, that line is in the song. And yes, I wrote the lyrics. And yes, I worked my ass off on the arrangement and mastering. And yes, it’s a fuckin’ banger.)
I’ve been digging into music lately as a new avenue to stretch my storytelling ability and fly into different areas creatively. If you know me at all you know I’m a huge proponent of doing ALL THE THINGS.
I don’t want to *just* be an author because my goal is not to *just* write books.
I want my characters to come alive. I want music. I want video. I want short stories, trading cards, books. I want awesome imagery, expansive worlds, and characters that blur the line between fiction and reality.
I had an idea for an absinthe-swilling samurai, trippin’ balls on the green fairy, spinning turntables, and literally slaughtering anyone and everyone who doesn’t dance to his beats.
AbSynth Samurai was born. Another story to tell in song (and a non-subtle metaphor for how I approach my creative output).
I don’t care if you hate AI.
I don’t care if you hate music.
I don’t care if you hate me.
I’m going to create. I’m going to make awesome shit. So get on the fucking dance floor and have a good time or fuck off because miserable assholes aren’t invited to my party.
But if you decide to join me?
Bruh, we’re gonna have a blast.
Only, We Won’t
Because nobody’s going to see my creative output. And here’s where the algorithm meets the road, friends. I committed the ultimate sin …
… I flipped off the algorithm, refused to be put in a box, and became a poor-performing algorithm investment in the process.
My engagement tanked.
My stock was dumped.
My reach became non-existant.
And it happened really fast.
All because I decided to be truly independent, and went my own way. I refused the box, refused the labels, and refused to be governed by a machine slowly dictating how and what I create by giving me a false choice between being rewarded for making it money, or being ignored for not playing the game.
And you know what?
I’m good with it, because I believe I’m out here doing what few people are doing, and pretty soon the music, the characters, the worlds and the creativity are going to be too loud for anyone to ignore.
The proof isn’t all talk. The proof exists.
Head down.
Work hard.
Have patience.
Keep fighting for yourself.
<3