Sometimes I wonder what I'm doing in this timeline, it doesn't seem to suit me at all. So many things about it just don't appeal to me or even make sense.
For example, when I'm out fishing, I don't want to stop much and take pictures, much less do a video. That totally takes away from the experience. In fact it seems depressing. Maybe I'll find a way to come around, but right now I'm not seeing it.
The whole "engagement farming" on social media just doesn't resonate at all. I have things to share - information, insights, experiences - I just have zero interest in packaging and marketing for likes and clicks. Again that whole thing seems so superficial and pointless.
And yet I do want to share. I'd like to have a much bigger audience. I don't get a dime for my blogs. In fact they cost me money. But I'd like to share my story, help others with what I've learned and experienced, connect with similar people. I just can't get into the engagement farming thing. It's so phony.
It seems like the people who get the big clicks have a few things. They have a big media marketing thing going on in the background - and why on earth would I want to buy something like that, when I'm losing money already? Then they either have some adrenaline content (which I'll admit I could do more of this, it's just more effort down the rabbit hole) and/or they engage in doom posting for clicks.
Doom posting is something I absolutely can't get into. It's very dishonest. Excessive pessimism is just as dishonest as over-exuberant optimism. Pessimism posting is there to prey on fears and anxieties, and it does so by creating and exacerbating those fears (otherwise there's no motivation to seek the cure).
*There is one other option. If you're an attractive woman you can get nekked on an OnlyFans and make money. And there are variants of this where attractive women sell their image to cover up an inferior product. This goes for fishing and things like energy healing and intuitive readings, as well as good ol' fashion porn and prostitution, and it's all a scam. And obviously that option isn't available to me even if I wanted to stoop to doing it.*
So yeah, since I'm not a fishing guide, there's little incentive to do the things (and pay the cost involved) to boost my presence. It's one of those kinda-nice-but-not-worth-it things that I can't muster the energy to pursue.
The energy aspect, maybe. But again, part of the problem is I know where I'd be fishing for engagement, and that's why I don't really do it. I can't stand the Santa Monica/ San Francisco vibe that permeates the "energy healing/ intuitive" culture. In fact, lately I've been getting all these "friend recommendations" for weirdos who are in that space and it's this weird, creepy energy. I keep deleting them and they keep coming back like cockroaches.
But you see, "cockroach fishing" doesn't really appeal to me. I realize there are a number of people who aren't part of that toxic culture who are drawn to my work, but they're as turned off by the dominant culture as I am, so it's very challenging to connect.
And then again, does the world really need another guy on a kayak with a Go Pro taking videos of the fish he catches? Maybe. It depends on how I put them together and keeping the message authentic.
There are a lot of people who resonate with my message - don't waste a lot of money on expensive equipment, enjoy all kinds of fishing and species instead of being a species snob, enjoy the ocean and nature, don't take yourself too seriously. And my bait doesn't have a hook, you're not buying anything.
Just thinking out loud here. Maybe this will trigger an inspiration.
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