Giving Up On The Hustle
November’s Monster Monthly
I’ve been on Medium almost two years now, but my hustle started much longer ago. Websites, blogs, YouTube channels — I tried all kinds of things to no avail.
When I started earning on Medium, it was like seeing them light at the end of a very long, dark tunnel.
Unfortunately, earning $20/month doesn’t satisfy the soul indefinitely. And after two years of hustling to make my dreams come true (and another 13 off Medium), it’s time to face facts: I’m not winning at this game.
The Following Game Is Over
A year ago, it felt like solidarity and supportive to give or get a follow. In the time of f4f, MPP restrictions, and the old read algorithms, that follow was a symbol of connection between writers. It was a way of saying, ‘Good job, keep writing.’ But since then, it has been overused and played out.
Losing the entity bar was a huge hit to people like me that followed out of support for fellow writers — it removed our ability to check in on our favorite writers without the algorithm butting in. Medium pushed the narrative of follows as our main communication to the algorithm, forcibly changing our relationship to following.
Supporting others was never a ploy to me; I sincerely wanted to encourage writers on Medium. However, that was naïve.
No amount of support I could offer was capable of keeping them from giving up.
Every now and then, I sift back through some of those I’ve followed. All that support I had hoped to give wasn’t enough; the vast majority of people aren’t even writing here anymore. They’ve left, mostly without warning. As I skim through the plethora of works in their wake, it becomes clear why they didn’t continue: they all had misunderstandings about the opportunity Medium provides. They wanted more.
So few of them were focusing on their craft or community. They simply wanted to write and make money — which is understandable at face value, but depressing nonetheless. They left, essentially because they were unwilling to learn and grow here. No amount of support I could offer was capable of keeping them from giving up. I would argue they likely had an idea of what would happen, and when that didn’t play out they became too frustrated to continue. Writing wasn’t their passion, it was just something they liked doing enough to consider trying their hand at making an income with it.
I get it. I’ve been there with other things, so I’m not judging. But it definitely informs my following behavior from here on…
Goodbye, Unfollowed
Yup. I’m going to be that person. I’m tired of my feed being littered with people I don’t know and won’t read. At one point, I had followed over 1700 people — no more. That number is slowly being whittled away as I go back through and remove people no longer writing here, or that I simply don’t read. My follow isn’t enough to support anyone; my read is what matters.
And, quite frankly, all these extra followed are getting in the way of my reading. So it harms everyone.
It’ll take time to get through the last 1300 or so, but I’m working on it. Maybe by the end of the year, I’ll have a clean enough feed to keep up with those I’ve struggled to maintain contact with all these months.
I give up on follows. Tony must be grinning ear to ear by now.
However, I refuse to despair! Ok, maybe I despair a little, but mostly out of grief that my efforts last year had little effect on the hundreds of people I reached out to. It just wasn’t enough. They needed more than I could give.
2023 has been a rough slap in the face, confronting that reality head on. I’m only one person, after all. How silly of me to think that I could singlehandedly encourage and impassion hundreds of people! Perhaps one person can do that, but not the way I was going about it.
I choose to learn and grow from the experience. Grief time is over.
What’s Next
For now, I’m focused on refining my follows and The Accidental Journey — a new venture I’ve begun on Substack. Until I’ve finished sorting through all 1300 people, there’s little point to moving forward on Medium.
But then…
My hope is to go back to how things were when I started. Commenting and following people that make an impression, creating connections with fellow writers and readers, and with luck maybe I’ll find a place here that’s more sustainable.
Perhaps 2024 will bring with it a new era of Medium for TAM. These next couple of months are meant to be cleansing, enduring, and setting the stage for a brighter future. 🤞
If you enjoyed this, you may enjoy some of my other articles from the last month:
TAM Stories
Writing Rejected: “Not A Good Fit” — But What Does That Even Mean?
What Artificial Engagement Looks Like
Follow Me Through The Flame
Following The Flame
Stories Elsewhere
The Accidental Journey on Substack
Much of this self-care series is by invitation or subscription only. Email me at theaccidentalmonster@yahoo.com to learn more!
Until next time, follow yourself, always!
Hey, look: a monthly newsletter from TAM~ One email, a wealth of reads!
If you like social media, I’m very active on Discord. If that’s not your thing, I’m sort of active on Twitter, and Mastodon. I’m also on Patreon, BuyMeACoffee, and I’ve got some cool merch here.
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