Summary

The text is a reflective piece on the author's struggle with the pressure of writing to satisfy an algorithm, personified as a ghost, and the liberation found in acknowledging and overcoming this challenge.

Abstract

The author of the web content, Jenine Bsharah Baines, shares a personal narrative about living with the metaphorical ghosts of writer's block and the relentless demands of Medium's publishing algorithm. These ghosts manifest as the fear of failure and the pressure to constantly produce content. The author contemplates getting a pet, either a cat or a dog, to help alleviate the haunting presence of these ghosts. Through the act of writing and the inspiration drawn from another writer's work, the author finds solace and a sense of exorcism, laying to rest the ghost of self-doubt and the algorithm's tyranny. The piece concludes with gratitude towards the readers and a subtle call to action for subscriptions.

Opinions

The author expresses a sense of being haunted by the demands of Medium's algorithm, which is described as unfathomable, ravenous, and relentlessly cut-throat.
The pressure to publish consistently is likened to a ghost with a whip, emphasizing the oppressive nature of the algorithm on the author's creativity.
There is a personal admission of being a slow writer, with even a haiku taking weeks, which starkly contrasts with the algorithm's insatiable appetite for content.
The author acknowledges the power of community and the influence of another writer, Lucy Dan 蛋小姐, in providing the perspective needed to confront and overcome the ghosts of writing inhibitions.
The piece conveys a journey from feeling overwhelmed by the algorithm to a place of empowerment, where the author takes control by using their intellect and creativity to address these challenges.
The author views the act of writing as a means of exorcising personal demons and the external pressures imposed by the platform's algorithm.
There is an underlying tone of gratitude towards readers and the algorithm (Al) for bringing readers to the author's work, suggesting a complex relationship with the digital publishing ecosystem.

F — K FEEDING MEDIUM’S ALGORITHM

Al and The Other

A tale of two ghosts

I live alone with two ghosts. I’ve considered a kitty for company. Perhaps — she’ll spare the mattress

and shred the ghost under the bed instead.

A dog may work, too. A best friend, Spot, to herd that knotty sheep in wolf’s clothing whose kinkiness I can’t unravel out the door into my bed of moonflowers where blankets of light at last lay it to rest.

and I rest, too. In peace. Emancipated

from edicts ever hovering, howling

publish, publish, publish.

Claws scratching my flooring, tracking clumping litters of fear of perishing from basement to attic. While in my office

bones of a once fat-and-happy pursuit rattle in stilettoed winds barking you’d better write today.

You’d better, you’d better,

or the algorithm will bite and ignominy swallow you whole.

The other ghost, the one whose lack of humanity harrows me,

littering my future with discarded bones gnawed to their sucked-bitter marrow of blame — well,

he, at least, is fading.

My own ghoulishness owned, exorcised. A dark night’s pencil drawing beneath day’s eraser.

©Jenine Bsharah Baines 2022

Sometimes, I swear, I feel haunted.

I am one of those sloooooooooooooow writers — even a haiku can take weeks. So Medium’s unfathomable, ravenous, relentlessly cut-throat algorithm is the boogeyman under the bed, the treadmill that won’t turn off, a ghost with a whip while I write, a nag when I don’t…

A specter of impending failure

And a despot with no clothes, I now see — thanks to Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她)’s poem and prompt:

I Do Not Write Every Day To Feed The Algorithm Monster

a poem and an honest admission

medium.com

Thank you, Lucy, for the nudge to use my noodle and — while I was at it — put the lingering remains of a second ghost in their proper place, beneath an eraser.

As always, thank you, too, dearest readers — and thank you, Al, if you sent them my way.

jeni

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