When I put something out in the world, it typically receives very little or no response. For instance, when I posted some of the bronze portrait sculptures yesterday, I got three likes and no likes when I posted them to AI groups with tens of thousands of members.
That’s OK, of course. There may be many reasons for it, and that’s life. Also, I share for the sake of sharing. I offer something, and people respond in a way authentic for them.
It also makes me curious. Why doesn’t it receive more response?
When I post articles I see as exceptional and on important topics on social media, or my own photos or AI images, or post something here, why does it typically receive no response?
SOMETHING ABOUT ME
I’ll start with what seems most obvious to me, and that is that it has to do with my own fears and traumas.
I know how to do promotion. I know how to present something so people feel more engaged and are more likely to respond. And I don’t do it when it comes to my own things.
A part of me is deeply scared of attention. This comes from internalized family patterns and childhood experiences. So while I would like attention to the things important to me and share in the fascination of it, a part of me also really doesn’t want it.
I know what to do to get something out in the world and receive attention. And I don’t do it and sometimes do the exact opposite.
What would bring more attention is to… Share more widely. Get involved in groups, interact, and create personal connections. Make it more personal. Make it more catchy. So I tend to do exactly the opposite.
Also, everything in us colors our perception and life in the world, and it also colors what we produce. In my case, I suspect that what I produce has an element of “I am sharing it but am scared of responses” that comes from some traumatized parts of me.
Then there are the more superficial reasons…
SOCIAL MEDIA
There are some answers that mostly apply to social media…
On social media, most people won’t see it. They may not be on there very much. They may not be presented with it in their feed.
Some may enjoy it without liking or commenting.
I don’t know many in person and most are just social media “friends”. There is no personal connection.
I typically post things – articles and images – that require some energy and time to get into. Many don’t have that energy or time. Or they use social media to relax.
I don’t have that many friends who share my interests. My fascinations are definitely on the margin of what most people are into.
THESE ARTICLES
When it comes to these articles…
I don’t do anything to promote them. I don’t share them anywhere.
They are on topics very few people are interested in. And the ones who are interested typically go to the big-name teachers. (For good reasons.)
I don’t explicitly invite comments or feedback within most of the articles. (The most recent comment is almost three years old.)
There are a few hundred visitors here each day, but I assume most are looking for something else than what they find here.
Some may enjoy something here but don’t feel a need to comment or contact me.
AI IMAGES
When it comes to AI images…
Again, when I put them on social media, most people will likely not see them. Some may like it without liking or commenting. Most of it takes some time and attention to get into and doesn’t fit a scrolling environment. I don’t know many who are into visual art.
Also, I suspect that those who are into art may disapprove of AI-generated images. For me, they are fun experiments but they may see it differently.
Some may disapprove of AI in general, which is fair.
Some may be confused and not understand what’s going on.
When I post some images to AI groups with tens of thousands of members, I typically get no likes or comments. That may partly be because my aesthetic is quite different from most there.
IN PERSON
I thought I would add a few words about in-person interactions…
I typically don’t share too much about my background or interests when I interact with people in person. I tend to ask more questions about them, if anything, and share whatever seems to fit their interests. People can know me for years or decades without knowing about most of my passions or most of my background.
Also, I tend to give up relatively quickly. For instance, I started to share my experiences in a spiritual group (CSS) I was involved with in Oregon, often from slightly different angles than what I noticed was mainstream there. (I like to offer different angles and a bigger picture when I notice groups seem stuck in a particular way of looking at things.) This was typically met with a lecture about basics as if they assumed I was a beginner and didn’t understand even the basics. After a while of this, I gave up sharing anything.
QUALITY
There is also a question of quality here. I know that what I produce is generally good and sometimes has unique perspectives, but it’s not exactly consistently world-class.
And yet, that doesn’t explain the lack of response. A lot of mediocre things in the world get a lot of attention, and a lot of amazing and excellent things receive almost none.
Images: Some of my AI experiments over the last few months
INITIAL NOTES
- why don’t what I put out there receive more response?
- when I share photos, ai images, or articles I think are amazing
- very often very little response, typically nothing
- why? After all, I make a point out of liking anything others post that is of their creation or something important to them, I want to support and encourage them even in small ways
- similar here, very little response to any article, has been almost three years since anyone posted a comment even if a few hundred visit this site daily
- So why the deafening silence?
- may be several reasons
- In general
- Many may not even see it on their feed, is not presented to them
- many may enjoy something without liking or commenting
- don’t know that many people in person, most are just social media friends, they don’t have a personal connection with me (or it was way in the past)
- typically post things that require some time to get into, not flashy or obvious (the post I got most response to was a picture of a rainbow – easy to relate to and like and doesn’t require hardly any energy or time to get into)
- I don’t like attention due to family patterns and childhood experiences, have ambivalence about it, want and don’t want, so may be reflected in what I put out and especially how I put it out and people respond to it,
- writing
- don’t share outside of here, don’t promote,
- not written to be catchy or popular
- not written to invite feedback or comments
- a few hundred visitors a day, but suspect most of them don’t find what they are looking for
- Ai images
- share on social media with typically very little response, also share in AI groups with tens of thousands of members and often don’t get any response
- don’t have many friends into art
- not flashy, need more time to be with
- articles
- most people may be scrolling instead of actually reading posted articles
- requires more attention and time, often not entertainment
