This was super interesting. It’s funny how the digital world has created that shift in these relationships that were largely fictitious back in the day (soap stars, book characters etc) and now actual people with actual lives that are kind of acting to their audience. It’s scary really that the lines have blurred between real world and fiction and that’s now our kind of reality.
yo this is wild when you put it that way… I was an “influencer” in my city though I preferred the term blogger, and eventually I had to stop. It’s this constant pressure to share your most intimate self with everyone that knows you in the world, all at once. The more like a diary it is, the more successful. It’s deff not how human brains are wired to thrive, and when you take it to the levels you describe here… it’s super weird. People I’d never met would tell me they told their partner about content I posted and talk about me like a friend. It was flattering but I wanted actual friends.
I have such a respect for anyone who chooses that life. It's such a complex combination of being "normal" but also "celebrity." I'm impressed you stopped though because I can see how it might be addictive!!
Thanks for reflecting back! I don’t think I consciously chose it, but I wanted to be popular once I was in it and that gave me a taste of celebrity life just like you said. I would never want to be a celebrity after experiencing it. You can’t be yourself - you know that saying, “there’s always someone who doesn’t like peaches,” it’s like finding all those people who don’t like some bit of you and then them having access to tell you. Wild! I really felt I had no choice but to stop, I was just over it. I’ve been able to retain some of the things I built, and sometimes I get little perks so that’s always nice. But I pivoted into a completely different industry - women’s health 😁 - after reclaiming mine.
I absolutely applaud the decision to scale back. Feels authentic and genuine in a very refreshing way - good on you!
This was super interesting. It’s funny how the digital world has created that shift in these relationships that were largely fictitious back in the day (soap stars, book characters etc) and now actual people with actual lives that are kind of acting to their audience. It’s scary really that the lines have blurred between real world and fiction and that’s now our kind of reality.
yo this is wild when you put it that way… I was an “influencer” in my city though I preferred the term blogger, and eventually I had to stop. It’s this constant pressure to share your most intimate self with everyone that knows you in the world, all at once. The more like a diary it is, the more successful. It’s deff not how human brains are wired to thrive, and when you take it to the levels you describe here… it’s super weird. People I’d never met would tell me they told their partner about content I posted and talk about me like a friend. It was flattering but I wanted actual friends.
I have such a respect for anyone who chooses that life. It's such a complex combination of being "normal" but also "celebrity." I'm impressed you stopped though because I can see how it might be addictive!!
Thanks for reflecting back! I don’t think I consciously chose it, but I wanted to be popular once I was in it and that gave me a taste of celebrity life just like you said. I would never want to be a celebrity after experiencing it. You can’t be yourself - you know that saying, “there’s always someone who doesn’t like peaches,” it’s like finding all those people who don’t like some bit of you and then them having access to tell you. Wild! I really felt I had no choice but to stop, I was just over it. I’ve been able to retain some of the things I built, and sometimes I get little perks so that’s always nice. But I pivoted into a completely different industry - women’s health 😁 - after reclaiming mine.
Incredible to have the self-reflection to bounce back! Sounds like you ended up your true, authentic self. Only answering to YOU. The coolest.
I really did. Thank you for that. :)
Striving to find balance still! Happy I ended up in this digitally conscious corner of the Internet & looking forward to more