I Do Not Write Every Day To Feed The Algorithm Monster

Summary

The website content discusses the author's personal approach to creativity and writing, emphasizing the importance of not feeling compelled to produce content daily to satisfy the "Algorithm Monster," and advocating for periods of creativity as well as rest.

Abstract

The author of the web content reflects on the societal expectation to consistently produce content, driven by the demands of social media algorithms. They describe their own creative process as fluctuating between bursts of productivity and necessary periods of inactivity. The piece acknowledges the tension between the need for creators to regularly engage with the algorithm to gain visibility and the personal cost of such a relentless pace. The author argues that constant creation is not only unsustainable but also not conducive to genuine creativity, suggesting that writing for oneself, such as journaling, is distinct from creating with an audience in mind. The article concludes with the author setting boundaries to maintain their sanity and creativity while still engaging with the algorithm to ensure their work is discovered.

Opinions

The author believes that the pressure to create content daily to appease social media algorithms is detrimental to genuine creativity and personal well-being.
They advocate for the validity of periods of rest and the natural ebb and flow of creative energy, suggesting that this rhythm is more conducive to producing meaningful work.
The author distinguishes between writing for personal reflection (journaling) and writing for an audience, emphasizing that not all writing needs to be algorithm-focused.
They recognize the algorithm as a necessary but imperfect tool for writers to gain exposure, acknowledging its role in the discovery of their work while also seeking alternative methods of engagement.
The author emphasizes the importance of setting personal boundaries to prevent burnout, asserting that they will not sacrifice their mental health for the sake of the algorithm.

a poem and an honest admission

I have periods of creativity and periods of rest,

some days batching a small army of poems other weeks dry and barren save for a fragment of thought gracing the land like a roaming tumbleweed.

With this wax and wane rhythm, I stumble against the monster Algorithm that needs feeding every day or else leaves creators trodden underfoot.

I hold on to these pieces like preserved pieces of jerky, dried fruits of past labour offering sacrifices to feed this hungry Algorithm.

I do not create every day. I do not think we should be creating every day. Perhaps sure, I sometimes advocate for journalling every day, but journalling is the pre-chiselled form, writing for the self. Creating implies an audience.

We cannot create every day, or at the very least, I cannot create every day, and perhaps others can in a way that fits their energy and schedule.

But the fact that they can and I cannot is not a shame for me to hold, but rather a conscious application of a different strategy, or even different goals.

Perhaps you write not to feed the algorithm but to nourish your own soul. Perhaps you write regardless of the algorithm, and there are other ways you connect with others.

In this season of life, I do not create every day, I have periods of creativity, and I have periods of rest.

Prompts: Are you feeding the algorithm monster? Why or why not? Why else do you choose to write?

Hi I’m Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她) and I do choose to feed the algorithm monster, however hangry it sometimes gets, sporadic in how it supports writers, for it is still one of the important ways that I get my work discovered by readers. Sure, I’ve developed other ways to ensure that the algorithm is not the only way for my work to be discovered or for me to discover others’ work, but this stinky, stubborn, ever-changing algorithm Monster seems to be here to stay as a way for me to survive as a writer. So this is the boundary that I’m setting to keep my sanity, the fence I’m building around this beast. I may choose to feed the algorithm with work I’d like to present to the world, but I will not burn myself out in order to keep up.

I Do Not Write Every Day To Feed The Algorithm Monster

a poem and an honest admission

Prompts: Are you feeding the algorithm monster? Why or why not? Why else do you choose to write?

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