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
***
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 367: Moving Into A New Chapter with Darden Creative Founder Tamera Darden
EP 366: Unpacking Business Grief with Charlene Lam
EP 365: Asking Abundant Questions To Solve Business Challenges
EP 364: The Abundant Value of Virtual Assistants with Janice Plado Dalager
EP 363: Making The Hard Call With 90-Day Business Launch Founder Michelle Ward
EP 362: Debunking The Myth Of Scarce Attention
EP 361: Embracing Your Whole Identity With Coach & Consultant Angela Browne
EP 360: Slowing Down To Make Sustainable Choices
EP 359: Operating An Ethical Business With the ethical move Founder Alice Karolina
EP 358: Imagining New Ways To Work With Future Proof Skills Lab Founder Liz Wiltsie
EP 357: Building A Business Based On What Matters With Coach Mara Glatzel
EP 356: Creating A System Of Care
EP 355: Cash Flow Is A Feminist Issue
EP 354: Making Sales A System With Coach Pony Founder Christie Mims
EP 353: Dancing With Systems In Clickup With Lou Blaser & Sean McMullin from YellowHouse.Media
EP 352: Personal Strengths Make Strategy Stronger
EP 351: Thinking Differently With Writer Kris Windley
EP 350: Slowing Down For Success With Coach Reva Patwardhan
EP 349: Updating Your Default Settings With Work Brighter Founder Brittany Berger
EP 348: Knowing When To Get Out Of The Way With Let’s Do The Books Founder Mark Butler
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Commercial Edge: Unleash the Power of People
The emPOWERed Half Hour
Organic Marketing Simplified: Master podcast marketing, fuel podcast growth, and make money podcasting!
THE GO BIZ GUY
The Sigma Femme Podcast
The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway
The Money Mondays