I’m absolutely proud to support any one individual or channel who sets out to produce things you would normally watch or listen to on a screen. But let’s face the fact: too much content IS too much, IMHO. This doesn’t make sense, and I’m not sure this post will make sense, either, but I will try to write something useful about a topic that may or may not resonate with the rest of the crowd just finger-fiddlin’ with their phones all day long.
These days, you’re starting to hear more about the buzzterm “content creators”. That is, a wide group of everyday people like you and me creating vast forms of digital multimedia, whether it is producing YouTube videos, writing blogs, posting hi-res photographs, or simply anything that would attract a crowd of people — now you know why we keep sharing all these TikToks going “viral”. Well, that’s “content”. They share the kinds of interests — for example… food, fashion and funny stuff — that would attract a following of others with the same kinds of interests in… food, fashion and funny stuff.
Even all the popular actors, producers, singers and musicians do forms of content creation now just as they did a century ago. That’s right… all of your movies, music, and other forms of mass media product had to be created and packaged by real geniuses. Nothing has really changed ever since because we consume content on a daily basis. They act out in motion pictures for you, they publish news articles or blog posts for you, they sing like they’re telling stories for you, they talk in front of a microphone doing podcasts for you, and they post their fabulous lives in still pictures and moving images for you.
Basically, the type of content creators you’d mostly hear about nowadays are influencers. They’ve got the knowledge even if it’s the wrong kind. They’re also trying beat the clock in manufacturing their content and distributing all that to you via YouTube, TikTok, or other social media platforms. Hopefully, they get monetized because it requires serious work on an industrial scale.
I’ve often been an outsider recently, so I’m the exception because I really have no intention of influencing millions of the world population. (Unless I’m lucky — chances are one in a hundred million.) I’m a near-retiree trying to seek out a future where I can keep a calm peace of mind in this horrible society we live in. If I can only attract one person as a follower, then for every one person, I might as well have attracted 10,000 people. The solution: creating content. My time on earth is getting short, so maybe I will influence a few local friends and neighbors who’d be more than interested to spend a few minutes of their time with my work. And maybe, just maybe, get real content creators to take notice of my artistic aspirations, if a tall order at that…
When you first sign up for YouTube or every other social media account in existence, congratulations! You’re already a certified content creator. Of course, you have the option to make your channel private even if that means losing a few extra perks such as commenting, liking, or even tipping in a little extra pocket change for the creator you support the most.
So what good and how compelling is it to watch a video clip about kids of the 1970s doing politically incorrect things by today’s standards? Everything. Well, the very best you can do is lend a hand by supporting the channel and its creators. It’s that easy: give a one-time donation or become a monthly member and you might find yourself wearing the badge of honor as a “founding member”.
This is one of my favorite YouTube channels, and I would encourage you to check this one out…
I’ve proudly supported creators within the past four years as a social experiment and I should be the honorable statesman who makes a commitment to feel respected by the creator community at large. Very few can do this. It was the motivation that led me doing, ta da… Content! Legitimate platforms like Patreon or even YouTube’s membership option are ways you can help. Because in my personal point of view, nothing is for free and hitting the “subscribe” button doesn’t make it a free-for-all. In the past, I’m sure people from all walks of life including “superstars” like SSSniperWolf, Dhar Mann, Brave Wilderness, and my all-time favorite guilty-as-sinful pleasure Nikocado Avocado have thanked me for contributing my hard-earned bucks to keep them afloat.
There’s one major caveat to the noble cause of giving: we have far, FAR too many content creators out here in the open world. That’s a simple enough problem to recognize because we’re all taking advantage of the platforms and the technologies we use. Possibly a billion of us want to do content creation, yours truly included. What boils down to is the follow —> unfollow —> follow again cycle. Think of it as a loving relationship that becomes a temporary but also permanent breakup, and sometimes a breakup to make up. I think every one of us is guilty of that, and I guess that’s okay. I’m sure most creators don’t get upset about losing you or me as a follower; after all, we have too much business to take care of in our daily lives.
When I’m willing to subscribe and to support a YouTube channel or follow an Instagram account, I wanted to pick only one side for having, not the RIGHT experience, but the CORRECT experience. They come in multiple numbers being the exact same thing, but one has to decide. It’s like having to choose between Coke or Pepsi, popular colas… Ford or Chevrolet, heavy-duty pickup trucks… Tiffany or Debbie Gibson, late-80s teen beat pinups… only it’s way more complicated than that.
Out of one specific creator I want to fully support, and let’s say he or she is posting cosplays of well-known fictional characters, there are literally thousands of them doing the exact same thing competing for my own mind. So let’s break down who this creator would be: is it a man or is it a woman? (I prefer the latter as 90% of them are nowadays). Does she do ASMR, or just making daily spoken word vlogs about her vacation in Cancun. Is she into playing Minecraft or chatting with her subscribers? Is she a Marvel fan or a DC Comics fan? — now I never intended to side with both universes pertaining to superheroes, y’ know. I can’t seem to answer things exactly right when it comes to devoting my support to someone very specific to my interests, but the most obvious question remains… does she have a pretty face or does she have an ugly face? No matter which face you choose, the quality of the content and your tastes matter combined, so that’s basically what I look for. Categorically, you have creators who are novice-level startups, and you also have creators who had years of experience doing what they love best.
Sometimes, competition is a real b___h. I suddenly find myself going deeper down the rabbit hole finding better choices of creators until I’m fully satisfied 110%. On most occasions better choices still become bad decisions. I know that a great number of creators I followed have either stopped updating with new videos, or just flat out headed in a new artistic direction I never expected them to take. Philosophically, I never intended to support twenty ASMR creators, but it’s usually a one-size-fits-all approach when using video platforms that are fully open to everyone. By now, I must have contributed to a hundred of them for their hard work and dedication, no matter the race, nationality or creed. Okay, so I’m happy with that. Choice is king, choosing is queen, and Jack has already chosen his choice card.
The only thing I feel that’s missing from the experience of being generous is that I don’t get to communicate directly in person with the star person who’s running the show. There isn’t much time in the world for me to connect, yet I’ve done this before. Over the past year, I sent comments with Super Thanks tips of two dollars upward, but there’s a bad side effect to all of this. While it’s nice to see hearted replies with positive reactions from good creators, what discourages me from doing much more is the cruel nature of social media itself.
I know it’s a democracy, but sometimes bad users with foolish hearts butt in and type rude replies in a snidely manner to your generosity towards a video (yeah, probably spambots here and there, but you never know). I decided to just give my two dollars, delete my comment, and let it go. I’m proof positive that the channel owner receives my word, and numbers shouldn’t be all that important. It’s like a game to see who gets the most hearted comments as some sort of popularity contest, and I think gamification is the wrong way to go about it. For me, I keep a log of my progress just to keep it to myself. So depending on how much love you gave to your favorite creator or channel, my advice is keep it solely between the two of you as a private relationship — it’s about the best you can do in a crowded room full of unpredictable people.
Now would I still recommend supporting a content creator today? Of course I would! Whether it’s about writing blogs, video production, daily social posts of something nostalgic, or even being a television personality and public figure, there’s a whole lot of diversity out here that meets my preferences. With a crowded number of users, there’s always limitless exploration in the hunt for that one special person or channel that should righteously appeal solely to you. It’s actually a good thing, although it will require a lot of time-consuming detective work in the development of your Dream Team: that is, a lineup of your favorite creators you want to follow, subscribe, or share some of your love and wealth to.
So I’m gonna be sticking to my “great eight”, the best choices of content creators in my “Creators Circle” right now and I pledge to keep it that way for a long time. It’s a very tiny number, and it’s good enough for me. No more unfollows… but that I can’t promise sometimes. Everything evolves too fast when dealing with content creation, from lack of timely updates to changing course in artistic directions. But at least you can make a difference just as long as you’re a supporter.
Here’s the whole analogy in concluding this post: there’s just too many fish swimming in a crowded lake, all of them waiting for a bite. One of these days you’ll be very lucky to catch a good fish, and other days you just throw ‘em back in the water because it’s a bad fish. Some days, you regret about tossing the good fish because you only think once.
As for that Mr. Beast fellow, lemme think about it…
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