Last week, Vox published an article by internet culture reporter Rebecca Jennings about how everybody needs to be a self-promoter now—and we all hate it. Then, I read a response by writer and book coach Leigh Stein, who was quoted in the Vox piece, in which she admitted to actually enjoying creating her social media content. Stein said that she was considerably more optimistic about the state of things than Jennings article was.
I found the exchange fascinating. I find it hard to disagree with either of their perspectives! And Stein wasn't really disagreeing with Jennings either—which left me with one thought: I don't think we're talking about the same things here.
So I resurrected an old piece from July 2021 that made the case I wanted to make—that self-promotion sucks and is contentless, but that self-promotion is not the only mode for creating content that gets the job done on social media—and updated it for today's social media moment. This episode has my response to both Jennings's and Stein's articles, as well as a description of how enshittification doesn't only apply to platforms but to creators, too. And then, I share the 3 Rs of Digital Content.
Footnotes:
All new episodes are available in written essay form at whatworks.fyi
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If you’re questioning your relationship to work but finding it difficult to make lasting changes, I’d love to help.
I’m committed to helping you confront and deconstruct big assumptions that compete with your good intentions. And that’s exactly what we’re doing in my new 8-week cohort-based course, Rethink Work.
We’ll examine the beliefs, stories, and systems that keep us hustling—even when it hurts—so you can make changes that last and create a more sustainable approach to work.
★ Support this podcast ★EP 387: Context Clues: Is there hope beyond positive thinking?
EP 386: Extra Context: Getting Paid
EP 385: Context Clues: Who do you work for?
EP 384: Context Clues: Do you love your work?
EP 383: Extra Context: Rugged Individualism
EP 382: Context Clues: What makes for a fair refund policy?
EP 381: What happens when you take a 4-month break from business as usual?
EP 380: When does overdelivering become overcompensating? with Allison Davis
EP 379: Why do we choose squeezing more in over taking time off? (Time & Money 8)
EP 378: How much time do you work? with Anne Ditmeyer (Time & Money 7)
EP 377: What game are you playing? (Time & Money 6)
EP 376: What Is Our Time Worth? With Keina Newell (Time & Money 5)
EP 375: Is this really a new economy? (Time & Money 4)
EP 374: How do you measure quality time? with Elisabeth Jackson (Time & Money 3)
EP 373: Should we lower our expectations? (Time & Money 2)
EP 372: What Is Money? with Paco de Leon (Time & Money 1)
EP 371: How does emotional labor impact our work?
EP 370: What is the creator economy? with Gina Bianchini
EP 369: Do your goals make you a better person?
EP 368: What Does Growth Without Striving Look Like? with Rita Barry
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