Summary

The author seeks 20 open-minded individuals to engage with their work on Medium amidst the challenges of social media algorithms and the isolating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Abstract

The author, feeling the impact of Medium's follower-centric model and the broader issues of social media algorithms, is on a mission to connect with 20 individuals who are not just passive readers but active dreamers and thinkers. Recognizing the difficulty in finding such individuals in the current digital landscape, the author reflects on the past two years of isolation brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic and how it has exacerbated the challenges of reaching an engaged audience. They have come to realize that writing meaningful content is no longer enough to stand out on the platform, where articles about Medium's own functionality seem to dominate. The author invites those who value mental freedom, confrontation, sharing, and bridge-building to follow their work and possibly become members of Medium, in hopes of fostering a community that can collectively dispel the fog of these times.

Opinions

The author views themselves as a victim of the "Tyranny of Followers" they have previously described, caught in the web of algorithms and the pursuit of social media metrics.
There is a perception that the Medium platform has become trapped in a cycle where only content about the platform's own successful content strategies tends to perform well.
The author believes that the Covid-19 pandemic has contributed to a sense of separation and division among people, making it harder to connect with an audience.
They equate their quest for genuine followers to the adventurous pursuits of fictional characters like James Bond and Indiana Jones, suggesting a sense of urgency and importance in their mission.
The author values the creation of a community that transcends isolation, encourages intellectual freedom, and fosters cultural exchange, particularly with Italy.
There is an invitation for readers to not only follow the author but also to consider becoming paying members of Medium, hinting at the idea that financial support could be a way to combat the issues they've outlined.

I’m Looking for 20 Dreamers

A desperate mission to be accomplished in 24 hours: only for those who know how to open their minds

I have a desperate mission to complete in just 24 hours: I’m looking for 20 dreamers, readers, or - vulgarly - followers on Medium.

Perhaps avid readers, at least in large numbers, have never really existed but now it is hard to find even a few open-minded dreamers.

I am a victim of the Tyranny of Followers I have described, I am entangled in the web of algorithms, I have fallen into the trap of social media numbers.

Two years of isolation

The Covid-19 pandemic has now had all the time to separate us, divide us, distance us

medium.com

At first, I thought that writing heartfelt texts, with my thoughts and reflections, could be enough to float on the surface of this platform and to counter these two very hard years, crossed by a dense fog and the international pandemic of Covid-19.

In the meantime, however, much of the portal seems to have ended up in a vicious circle, in which only the articles that talk about which articles work on the site itself work. I don’t know if I’ve made myself clear.

The fog of this time

The haze - mental, emotional, and concrete - blankets the winter of 2021–2022

medium.com

And so here I am: I am the James Bond of the followers, the Indian Jones of the lost pen, the gold digger of writing, the explorer of the hidden meanders of Medium or even just the snow shovel of culture, as wrote the great author Haruki Murakami in his splendid novels.

Follow me if you want to leave your mind free, if you love to confront and share, if you want to fight the isolation and dispel the haze of this time, if you want to create a bridge with Italy, if you want to cultivate a dream of the future with me. Here if you want you can also become a member of Medium.