Keep Calm & Blog On

One of my favorite internet people, Bernie Dexter, is going through a rough time.  It's refreshing that she's so honest and it makes me love her all the more and want to support her as she tries to get back on track. She's had personal problems and professional problems hit all at once and in many ways, both personally and professionally she finds herself having to start over.  She's handling it with grace, of course, but as someone who's been there, I feel for her.

What she's going through is having to start from scratch in a system swollen with the masses of people she now has to compete with and loaded with algorithms (part of the robot uprising, no doubt!)  designed to target and promote people who are much probably younger, maybe hotter, definitely grosser (let's be honest about that last one, some of the most popular people on the internet are so disgusting I can't even watch them) and she finds herself totally at the mercy of this rigged system.

To paraphrase Bernie: When I started out, it was all so easy.  You just took photos of yourself wearing cute outfits and people took notice.  It's not that easy anymore.  Truer words were never spoken.  Bernie has managed to build a name for herself, a brand.  I got in on the game much later and just wanted to have a little fun, but even I've noticed the way things have changed.  It's all so competitive now.

That's why, for my own peace of mind and general sanity, I made a firm commitment to myself and my family that this would only ever be a hobby.  It's just too maddening to try to play this popularity game especially now that it's not just with people but with computer programs and vast tech companies.  No thank you.  I'd rather not have an aneurism or a heart attack because I'm under so much stress.  And I just don't have the energy or the interest in playing a game where the rules keep changing and the winners are rigged.

Bernie isn't just a tough lady, she's a smart lady and I know she'll come out of all this just fine.  She's switching platforms and generally doing things to control what she can and make her life better.  That's all any of us can do really.  But when I read about struggles like this, it feels even more like I made the right decision for myself to step back and say, (maybe over and over) this is just for fun.  I've got enough troubles without adding fighting with robots to try to be Miss Popularity to the list.

So, all the best to Bernie, Gal, I know you're going to make it!  And to everyone else, just starting out:  do this because you love it and do it just for you.  If it becomes a career, that's awesome but probably temporary.  Keep that in mind and when it stops being fun, let go and move on.  Believe me when I say, it's not worth sacrificing your peace and happiness--nothing is.