Create a Community, Not a Following
The number of followers can be almost insignificant
I see a lot of people in a desperate race towards having 100 followers. I can understand that, as we all want to be part of the membership program. The problem is using this approach further. Simply following people only to follow you back.
Quick fix
In the era of fast gratification, we can’t wait for anything. You can see online that everyone is a hacker. Coming up with a hack for everything, from entering Nirvana to wiping your ass.
We are being influenced by that mentality and taught to believe that every process should be done faster. Even though most things take a lot of work and time.
I’ve seen a lot of people talking about healing depression, exterminating anxiety, and obliterating any negative thoughts out of your life, only done with 5 steps.
As a psychologist I know that is impossible. Even though some people can completely heal from depression quite fast given the proper treatment, a lot of people can’t do that. Some might fight for years or decades with it. It is the same for anxiety. As for negative thoughts, they are not to be banished but to be accepted. It is part of a normal human being to have a shadow, a place of darkness within. This is not only part of human beings but also of this whole world, you need both Ying and Yang.
I wasn’t that surprised to also see this on Medium, a quick fix for everything from writing better, gaining followers to making 6 figures on the platform.
A journey into the dried land — Thirsty for success
I want to have success but I know that is going to take time. I think that your work shouldn’t need to be done only in the expectancy of having success. It should be about the process of doing it. I love writing because of the process of painting the intricate picture in my head through words. I don’t feel the need to try to force myself to do this as efficiently as possible because for me is a creative act. An act of play. When you play you don’t mind the clumsiness, the misses, you only care about having a good time.
A lot of people on this platform started writing because they really like it. That’s what I love to see on Medium. On the other hand, there are some people who came here for the sole reason of making extra money. I don’t think they have the capacity to withstand the struggle in the long run, and you can feel it. They will try to sell you something with every chance.
Gaining followers and creating a community shouldn’t be an artificially designed process. You don’t make good friends by using a quick scheme, and a standard procedure, it’s a spontaneous process.
When you just increase your number of followers using a follow-to-follow number you create a mirage, an illusory community, that in reality is absolutely not interested in your writing. You are simply a number in their follower count.
The reality of the situation is that increasing your followers, takes time. My way of approaching this is by creating good content and being honestly engaged with people. I believe that doing that will result in the emergence of new followers.
Using this way you increase the chances for giving the follower count a real meaning. There would still be people who only follow you in the hope that you will follow them back, but there would be also people who simply like your work.
Using a follow-to-follow method may seem like an oasis in the dried land of success, but it’s just a mirage, the real way is to walk the path of hard work.
