The Author's Nest

I really hate some of the trends I've seen on social media, but one of the big ones that irks me is the whole idea that, if someone doesn't update their followers constantly, some of said followers start to get "worried or scared" that something happened to the person. I saw this recently because, while I don't use Twitter directly, I do keep up with certain interesting people via RSS feeds.

This person hadn't updated for two days. Just two days. Suddenly, they show up with an update stating that they're on vacation, and to no worry about them. I take a quick look via Twitter search, and see multiple people at-mentioning this person begging them to say something so that their followers know that they're okay. Just... What the hell? Let people post at their own pace. They may be busy, or like the person in this example, might be trying to get away from online life with a vacation.

The problem is that many individuals, and even the media, push and promote the "always connected" mentality in a way that normalizes those fears. The idea that someone going dark for even a day means there might be something wrong with said content creator. I've also seen it on the likes of YouTube, where a creator goes on an unexpected hiatus, and people lose it, thinking legitimately that the person is in the hospital, or even dead, just because they hadn't posted on schedule. It's absolutely terrifying that these creators can't even get personal time without fans pestering them about fearing the worst had happened.

It's why I prefer not to have a schedule at this point. If I did, and I missed an upload or something, I don't want someone going that route. It'd kill me a bit on the inside, knowing that I might have hurt someone in such a way.

Part of me also fears that it's fake empathy, with people making such posts to get "internet points" (Likes/Faves and such) for being such a "good fan". It's not only possible, but an actual trend or dark pattern that shows up at times to encourage people desparate for those numbers, or just for attention.

It's kinda sad, in innumerable ways, that it's considered socially acceptable to not let people have free time if they're a public figure/influencer/insert buzzword of the day here. Then again, with the other ways social media have twisted perceptions of individuals in high places, it's also not surprising. People aren't allowed to be just people if they're successful.

And above all else, just thinking about it, that actually kinda justifies my fear of success once again.