Fom ‘Covert Clicks: The ‘Psyopification’ of the Internet,’ by Social Medium:

“The most important realization is that the internet is no longer neutral terrain. It is not just a communication tool; it is an environment designed to shape behavior. The question is not whether you are being influenced—it is whether you recognize how and by whom.”

I’ve been thinking about this for awhile, “the internet is a tool, not a destination.”

A tool to order books, then read them in my living room.

A tool to connect with others, then go cook dinner.

A tool for my banking and business admin, but then for logging out and going for a walk.

Every second spent online is data tracked, monitored, and stored. And probably sold to random bidders.

Time offline, away from the internet, provides less surface area for being influenced by the powers that be.

Erin Shetron of FREQUENT CRIERS CLUB (and marketing consultant) wrote about the messiness that sometimes comes with working as a “growth strategist,” and how there’s many ways to develop growth:

“I realize that i’m working with a grander definition of “growth.” growth in authenticity, in craft, in honesty, in nuance, in alignment. the question “how can I grow my newsletter?” becomes, “what happens when I work on my creativity so deeply and in such true alignment that my project naturally expands?”

I wrote something similar in Posting is a distraction:

“What if our practice became so deep and rich that the 100 people lucky enough to be on our email list started telling more people?

What if the magic isn’t about hitting an arbitrary subscriber count, but reaching the tipping point in our work where the magic can longer be contained, and it begins to spread without us needing to write messages on beaches?”

The “messages on beaches” part is how I think about posting on social media; constant posting, seeking growth, yet all that work washes away in minutes.

But the true work, as Erin explains – “growth in authenticity, in craft, in honesty, in nuance, in alignment” – that’s where the visible growth can come from. When the foundation is strong, and the motives pure, the work becomes a vibration, a wavelength for others to pick up on.

You know that if you leave a comment, someone will see it. That’s how it works.

You also know that screaming from a street corner will get you some weird looks and not many positive interactions.

Where then is a good place to put our energy? What’s the best use of our time?

We are so entagnled in this “micro-blogging” quick fix life. It’s so easy to post a photo, a remark, an opinion. In the past the social media overlords swung the attention in our favor. They knew our friends would hit like, and some friends of friends.

They knew we could get addicted to this. So they slowly pulled it away, so some people who relied on (small businesses, creators, etc) would start paying for the impressions.

It was all a house of cards, and it’s crumbling.

But now as we return to blogging (like this), or email list, the rush isn’t there. The likes don’t flow like they used to. Fewer replies.

Which then makes us long for the social media hit. The quick fix. Post again, and again.

It’s gone, and it ain’t coming back.

The fulfillment we seek is already in us, it’s never from something outside (thanks, Alex for that one).

In middle school I always had the latest issue of BMX Plus, and wore Airwalk shoes that mom ordered for me from the JCPenny catalog. I grew my hair long and wore a Batman cycling cap.

I was sending signals, people! So were you. Even right now. Everything we do and how we operate is a secret nod to those who might “get it.”

The signals you send say, “this is the stuff I do, come say hello.” I was sending lots of “I’m into cool music and I want to be in a band” signals at that time.

The kid with the black jean jacket and a Bon Jovi shirt got my signal in 5th grade. Years later I’d join his band (which changed my life).

What signals are you putting out today?

How can you send better signals?

And how can you make sure your signal doesn’t get lost in the noise?

The below only really applies to the Substack platform, but I think the logic behind it can carry over into other places.

Stop begging the Substack Notes algorithm to “send you” cool people to follow.

Sending signals to social media algorithms is a poor use of time.

I bet you already subscribe to / follow at least one interesting person on Substack, right?

Go to their profile (here is mine) and check out all the posts they LIKE and the publications they subscribe to.

See? Now you’ve got tons of interesting people to discover via someone’s unique taste and cool vibe discernment.

It’s all about the “liner notes.” Find people involved with the cool videos you watch on YouTube, or the people who leave comments, or dig through the guests on your favorite podcasts. Find out who they’re following, who they’re writing about and sharing about.

It’s Friday, this is Four the Weekend – four things you can do by Monday that’ll be more productive than hours of scrolling social media.

1. Watch my ‘Talking About About Pages’ workshop replay, update your About page, and email a friend in your creative orbit to take a look at it, preferably in person (or on a Zoom call). I also spoke at length with the very wise Alex Dobrenko` this week – you can watch that here.
2. Clean up your Link in Bio. Better yet, trim it to 2-3 links; starting with your own website and somewhere to subscribe to your email list.
3. Get talking to people in your existing creative orbit. Email, set up a call, meet in person. Vent for the first 15 minutes, sure, but then start talking and dreaming about the way you want to work the rest of 2025 (like more photo walks with friends).
4. Read the section ‘Don’t kill the attention of mourners’ from ‘The Art of Gathering‘ (chapter five) by Priya Parker. Are you leading with logistics, or leading with magic and wonder?

Been visiting artists’s website lately, and it’s mind blowing how few sites have any meat. No bio. No backstory. No history.

Basically just a link-in-bio page, directing fans to various platforms, where reaching your audience will never get any easier (or cheaper).

• Links to YouTube, where your fans are bombarded with suggested videos and pre-roll ads.
• Links to Spotify, where your precious work is surrounded by other bands and albums.
• Links to social media, where your updates compete with celeb gossip, political drama, auto-play videos, and worse.

Not everyone wants to just stream your album, or “consume your content” on YouTube.

Some people are dying to fall in love with your work, so seduce your fucking fans.

Lure them in like a vampire and never let ‘em go.

Tell them your darkest secrets, your seedy tales, or at least tell them what god damn city you’re based out of, my god.

And that doesn’t mean it needs to turn into some parasocial weird toxic relationship. Set boundaries, of course.

But why do artists do interviews with big media outlets?

Why do they answer questions about how they got started?

Their influences?

Stories from tours?

Hardships on the set?

Challenges in the studio?

Because that shit is more interesting than saying GO SEE MY MOVIE or STREAM MY ALBUM.

No one discovered you because of your About page, or your well written bio.

You’re discovered from a piece you wrote, a story you crafted, a video you made, a song you wrote, a photo you posted.

Everything you post is your “About page.” Bake in your credentials, your wisdom, your unique viewpoint that only you can offer.

That’s why when I see people repost something, and their only commentary is “THIS,” I get sad.

Here’s a post, a “piece of content” that you shared with your followers, and an AI bot could have done it.

But an AI bot (or someone with 15 years less experience than you) can’t add to the reposted item like you can.

Every post is another opportunity to impress someone for the first time. And this is a big internet, so it might also be your last time.

I’m not saying everything you post has to be perfect, without typos, but don’t post without highlighting yourself in someway.

Not in a boisterous, ego-driven way, but in a way that you’ve earned, from your hard work and long hours you’ve devoted to your craft over the decades.

I’m running a Talking About “About Pages” Workshop this week, Thursday, February 13th from 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EST. It’s free, and yes, a replay video will be available.

1. Make your own Twitter

I mentioned recently that you should make your own Twitter, and it’s been fun seeing some subscribers run with the idea:

• https://pappasbland.com/feed
• https://timmcfarlane.com/work/the-almost-daily-art-life
• https://shinydesigns.com/category/studio-updates-feed/

We update our websites because platforms disappear.

For instance, Posts was a nice platform for designers and artists and programmers. I found it a few years ago, and discovered some cool art and a few apps.

It’s shutting down in May.

All the photos and designs will go away. All the stories about making vector animations or silk screen posters will no longer exist.

This is why we need our own feeds, on our own websites.

2. Join my About “About Pages” Workshop

Join me for a one-hour interactive workshop where we’ll focus on crafting or improving your About/Bio page. Whether it’s for your website or Substack, we’re work together to create something that aligns with your vibes.

➡️ Thursday, Feb 13 – 2-3:00 PM EST – Register and get the Zoom link here​

I’ll have have links to various About pages for inspiration, and we’ll talk about what every good About page should have, but I won’t be clicking through a deck and lecturing for an hour – heck no!

The even is free, but you can name your own price at check out if you’d like to support my work.

• Yes, this workshop will be recorded
• Yes, you should register even if you can’t attend so I can send you the replay video
• No, this won’t be a lecture
• Yes, this will be chatty and we will take time to work on our about pages in real time
• Yes, it’s free / pay what you want

➡️ Thursday, Feb 13 – 2-3:00 PM EST – Register and get the Zoom link here

3. Check your SEO Description

Google your publication or website and see what comes up.

This is updated on Substack here:

Skip the “hello, and welcome to my musings and whimsical thoughts that flutter through my noggin” intros and tell potential readers what they get before clicking.

Can you explain your work in one sentence? In five words?

4. Leave the house

From our pal Dedicate Your Life To Music (link):

Streams don’t make your career.

Followers don’t make your career.

People do.

If your career is stagnant, go to shows.

Get involved in your local scene.

Make friends and play house parties.

Meet people who love live music.

If your music is good, people will be so excited to share it with others. But they can’t do that if you’re fucking around at home worrying about your Spotify numbers.

This is universal wisdom, as it can be applied to other art forms, too.

Go to book readings, art galleries, photo exhibits, museums, craft fairs.

Be around the people you want to be around. Work hard at making good stuff, instead of obsessing over unsubscribes or clicks.

The experiences and lessons you learn make you who you are. We’re not talking just “words on a screen” or “lyrics to a song,” because this is 2025 and bullshit AI bots can do those things. Not well, but they can.

So that’s why we need to get out into the ugly real world, have some awkward conversations, show up someplace and not know anyone. Skip the algorithmic shortcuts that everyone else tries to game and cut in line by knowing people. Making connections. Networking but not in a gross way, but in a “omg my life is filled with amazing people” way.

AI bots can’t show up in venues on a Tuesday, or your D&D night.

Hop on a Zoom call with some fellow freaks. Or stay home and invite people over. Start a knitting club, a book club, a vinyl record club, a “show us the photos you made this week” club.