One vs. many

Content creators on social media, especially for videos, tend to be known for one thing.

One kind of comedy sketch. One specific art style. Traveling around the world. Trying new recipes. Productivity hacks. Technology reviews.

They are known for that one topic.

That’s limiting, which can be a good thing (consistency) or a bad thing (burnout).

Before social media, you didn’t have to be one thing on the internet. You could just be yourself.

Personal blogs were (and still are) places where you could post about whatever you wanted. You didn’t have to pick a niche.

Even message boards didn’t pin you to one topic. Yes, there was usually one focus area (a TV show, a book series), but there were also areas to chat off topic about whatever you wanted.

Mainstream social media is dying, and a lot of it has to do with being funneled into one thing—the corporate-controlled algorithm.

The algorithm forces ads and specific kinds of content on to your feed. It leaves less room to interact with people you follow and discover new people with common interests.

This makes social media feel restrictive. You get one way to see content, instead of many.

If people want a different way to interact online, personal websites are an alternative. Website platforms have gotten easier to use compared to pre-social media times.

I’m excited about what that means for people who want to find community online, but not on social media anymore.