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LM: #374: Follower mode was stifling, feed mode is freeing
The shift that has happened in how media is consumed has made it way more comfortable to create.
So long as you recognize that shift.
We used to be in follower mode: People would follow you on a social media platform, or even subscribe to your RSS feed. They would see everything you made.
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Lots of people miss those days. They complain their followers don’t see what they create. But that actually sucked.
Follower mode put way too much pressure on the creative process. You had to get it right the first time, because everyone would see it.
It would be too embarrassing to publish two variations of the same thing. You’d scare your followers away. You just had to guess.
In feed mode, the pressure is off. You can try it a dozen different ways. Your followers will only see it if it’s better than the other things the algorithm could have shown them.
Add to that, your follower count is no longer the limit. Beat out the other stuff on the algorithm, and your reach is nearly unlimited, even with 0 followers.
You can be as cringe as you want, and hardly anyone will notice.
This is especially good news for the Leonardos. Those who find their process through exploration. Follower mode was great for the Raphaels – those freaks who could somehow plan out one version of a vision, then execute.
Follower mode was harshly judgmental and stiflingly rigid. Feed mode lets you be improvisational and iterative.
Book: The Origin of Science (Amazon) presents evidence from persistence hunters that explain how humans evolved to be scientific.
Cool: David Attenborough’s documentary of an 8-hour persistence hunt in the Kalahari.
Best,
David
