Do you ever have an idea and write something thinking it is interesting and then, ...

... it just doesn't get the engagement you predicted? I get this from time to time and probably more so now since comments are somewhat out of favor since the hardfork. I expect that to change though with SMTs as they can reinvigorate the comment section by adding another tokenized layer that makes commenting sexy again.

Regardless of this though, writing out ideas whether they get engagement or not, votes or not is valuable, especially these days in a world of fast consumption. Average social media design and passive consumption doesn't encourage slow thinking or deeper consideration, it is created to incentivize disposable information that gives the feeling of understanding.

I think that spending some time to develop thoughts has several compounding factors including testing ideas through mental process and of course, developing thinking skills in general, as well as writing and presentation skills.

Some might see a lack of engagement as failure to attract attention, but this is really only true when considering multiple pieces of content over time, the odd piece that falls on deaf ears or is not well received is of little consequence as a standalone piece.

However, it is also valuable to get accustomed to the feelings that may come through association with a piece failing to get traction as it should be relatively common if pushing boundaries and a lot of content. One of the problems I hear is that people evaluate their value and identify themselves with how much attention they get from social media mechanisms, and many,, many feel like failures if they don't get enough likes, hearts or stars. It is a slippery slope to identify oneself in such a way as it can lead toward losing the true self in favor of what gets attention.

Attention and validation seekers are bound to end in the negative as it is impossible to always attract doing what one loves consistently, and impossible to maintain it for life. No wonder there are so many depressives on the Internet, people who define themselves on the opinions and support received from others, often strangers with no skin in the game or care for who a person is in reality. A hard life to be sure.

For me, I love the writing process enough that even if something fails to get engagement, there is still value in it for me. I also know many who read my work often but don't often comment. This is hard to factor of course, but comments and votes aren't the only signs of traction, although they are more visible. Pay attention and you might ktoce spin off content tbay has been developed from a core idea consumed from another source. Inspiring content is value adding also, even if it isn't a direct line.

We can never really know what effects we have on most people as the influences we have and the continued ramifications of them go largely unseen. I wonder if we were able to evaluate and enumerate all of our influence made throughout our day or week would we inspire more positive action or negative?

We all likely believe that what we do has a positive effect on the world, but we can never really know if that is the case. I think we have more direct influence on our world than many think, and a lot less than some believe.

Anyway, off to bed - if there are comments, I will get to them in the morning.

Taraz
[ a Steem original ]