The REALITY of Content Creation

I've grown pretty tried of content creators that got fat when food was plentiful saying that there is a feast still on the table when in reality it is a bunch of messed-over scraps. No one else has the testicular-fortitude to say this, so I'll say it because it needs to be said. People that already had a large following of people before algorithms took over have a skewed viewpoint of what "organic growth" looks like today. Back in the 2000s - 2010s, there was an explosion of organic growth because these social-media platforms were trying to grow their brands. Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter were not the juggernauts 15 years ago that they are today. They needed as many people on their platforms as possible to build a solid foundation. Back then, everyone saw ALL of your posts, and you saw all of theirs. Advertisements were minimal at best. It was easy to gain followers. A lot of people became social-media celebrities overnight. A lot of people started making significant amounts of money on these platforms. A lot of people quit their 9-5 jobs and became full-time content creators. Once these platforms reached the point of equilibrium and these companies saw that they had millions of people over a barrel, that is when the .com social-media bubble, BURST. Now, they've changed all of their policies to take the power and control away from the content creators. They started to ransack feeds with ads. They started to limit engagement on accounts and let the algorithm decide what you should see from others and IF others should see anything from you. Now, in order to maintain what you have or get back what you had, you have to play the game their way and as I mentioned earlier, many people have made content creation their bread and butter. They support their families with this. So, now you see people that you have followed for years stooping to new lows with their content whether it be click-bait titles, or content dripping with social or political agenda. Why? It's because that is what the algorithm WANTS and if you want to get paid, that is what you have to do. People that already had a huge following with tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of followers across multiple platforms can't see it through the eyes of Joe Blow that is trying to launch a new brand today, in 2025. They think like... "Hey it worked for me, it should work for you, too. You just aren't doing it right." Or...

"You just aren't trying hard enough." The stuff that worked for those people then, doesn't work now. The tips and instructions that the social-media platforms shamelessly claim work, do NOT work. Too many big time content creators on YouTube that have HUGE followings have either had to downsize and disband the teams they had, engage in other financial ventures to make ends-meet, get a regular 9-5 job on the side to help make ends-meet, or quit content creation altogether. Too many MAJOR artists that I follow that have hundreds of thousands of followers on EACH of multiple platforms and work for MAJOR comic book companies, animation studios, video game companies, etc., have ALL stated that engagement for them these days is a fraction of what it used to be. Maybe Captain Picard can help me on this...

It's not about the quality of your art. It's not about the timing in when you post it. It's not about how you view your own creations or even how others view your creations. It's not about volume or pacing. It's about that fact that if you want to succeed on a social-media platform, then you have to play THEIR game and by THEIR rules, which means you cease being an artist and become THEIR tool. In effect, you become their own organic, AI prompt.