No one actually really gives a damn, but it’s a good thing for aspiring writers
Why don’t people publish their writings online?
Why don’t people make those videos they always dream about making?
Why don’t people share their art online?
The answer is they are afraid of what others think.
What their friends and family might think and what their colleagues might think.
If it’s you, you should stop worrying.
I get it.
One time, it was me too. Until I finally realized most people just simply don’t care. I believe:
People wouldn’t worry about what others think if they knew how hard it is to get attention online.
When we don’t post that article or share that video, we have the classic case of the Spotlight effect. This is the psychological phenomenon when people tend to believe they are being noticed more than they really are.
We think others think about us a lot, but the truth is they don’t. They don’t care about us as much as we believe they do.
I know it sounds rough.
But it’s a good thing for aspiring writers like me. You landed on this article, so I assume it’s also a good thing for you, too.
Keep pouring your heart and soul into your art, writing, or videos because people’s attention span is just getting shorter and shorter.
It’s super hard to get someone to read a 6-minute-long article or watch a video for longer than 2 minutes.
I don’t know why it happened.
I can only assume the ‘tiktokification’ of content and ‘tinderification’ of people might have something to do with it.
When dating apps make it easy for people to ditch other humans in 2 seconds…it was only a matter of time before this behaviour swooped into our everyday lives.
What’s the result?
People learned to ditch content, too!
Imagine your reader views your story on Medium, but a notification pops up from Instagram…and just like that, they are onto another new, shiny thing.
Readers are not here for a long time.
Medium awards writers who can keep readers’ attention span longer than 30 seconds. Crazy, right? That’s how easily people lose interest in content.
How?
I can let out everything. No filters.
I can dive deeper into my thoughts and feelings to squeeze out those last bits from my heart and soul.
I can give my readers a funny story that entertains them, or a new view and angle on a topic.
I can edit the cr*p out of my writing to make the article concise and to the point.
Because no one cares.
I’m new to this writing. Knowing the fact people have the attention span of a goldfish is comforting.
I can practise my writing in peace. I can practise in public and improve, one story at a time.
If you’re still with me, hats off to you! It means you’re not a goldfish, and I thank you for that.
I leave you with a question: as writers & content creators, what’s your move?
If you’re new to me, my name is Niki. I’m a part-time writer with a 9-to-5 job in tech. I recently started a club for part-time writers → join us here. It’s already 5 of us!
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