“In the age of likes and follows, we have confused the reward of creating with the reward of being praised for creating.”
Leigh Bardugo (2025), TEDxUCDavis
maia strzygowskisubstack.commaia strzygowski (@maiastrz)
the saddest think about turning everything in life into a giant popularity contest of likes and follows is that we've conflated mass approval, attention, and popularity with being "social" and we've forgotten that amusement, curiosity, and play is a worthy enough reason to do things.
sari azoutx.comSome people have told me I’m not doing enough—that I should publish more, react to breaking news, tweet every day, start a podcast. But to what end? More subscribers but less pride in my work? Host a podcast but constantly cringe because it’s not really me?
I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but there seems to be an assumption now that if you... See more
I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but there seems to be an assumption now that if you... See more
There are plenty of well-documented reasons to distrust Instagram — the platform where one is never not branding, never not making Facebook money, never not giving Facebook one’s data — but most unnerving are the ways in which it has led me to distrust myself. After countless adventures through the black hole, my propensity to share, perform, and... See more
Tavi Gevinson • Who Would Tavi Gevinson Be Without Instagram?
Prompting provides no intrinsic reward even if you became good enough at it you did get some very brief extrinsic reward in the form of social media likes. And the former is existentially satisfying while the latter is cheap, fleeting dopamine that leaves you empty.
Social media's 'growth hacks' are just modern-day creativity junk food: addictive, flavourful distractions that leave your true art malnourished.