Some days being an introvert can feel a lot like being a criminal. Like I have some dirty secret that I need to hide. Then again, as an introvert, hiding comes naturally to me.
Don't get me wrong. I can function socially. I like to think I'm a pretty good public speaker too. But too much interaction with other people exhausts me and I end up isolating myself for days afterwards to recover.
And I am okay with that.
I don't have a Facebook account. My cell phone only works on wifi. I don't have text messaging. Generally, I return emails and phone calls the next day. I do that because I like to give considered responses and, generally, I need to be alone to think.
Steemit is different. Or, at least, it was.
When I first started posting and reading posts on Steemit, what I liked about it was that it felt like a fairly pure exchange of ideas. If you liked a post, you upvoted. If someone liked your post, they upvoted you. If you wanted more personal interaction, you went to Discord, but you didn't have to.
I guess Steemit used to feel like social media for the rest of us. For the somewhat antisocial. And I liked that about it.
I don't want to join a group. But I hold nothing against those who do. It takes all the colours to make a rainbow, but I'm starting to feel like my colour isn't wanted anymore.
For the record, please don't think this is a sour grapes post. It's just that there's something happening here that I think is worth paying attention to, even if it is just to observe social dynamics in action.
Forced socialization is infiltrating everything, of course, even being an artist. Funding opportunities for artists now tend to focus on community engagement and collaboration rather than supporting an individual to make art.
What gets lost when that happens?
I can't pretend to have answers. I don't.
You know what I think, though? I think there is now so much content? data? information? stuff? out there for us to consider, that we get overwhelmed and start to look to group opinion - the committee - to decide what to think about it. To decide what 'we' think about it.
Is that dangerous? I think so but, then again, I'm an introvert.
What do YOU think?
I would genuinely love some input on this.
PS - Happy Thursday. : )
A wonderful and thoughtful post. I think society needs to reward introverts, but it is moving away from that. Innovation often comes from solitary thinkers (not always of course).
Hopefully there is room for all of us on Steemit.
Some people are creators, but don't like to interact. Regardless of one's networking skills, if someone creates something good, there needs to be a mechanism to reward them especially if it doesn't fit into group think.
Actually there is nothing to feel like criminal about, a recent study has concluded that one third of the americans are introverts. Introversion is a natural personality trait not a flaw to feel shameful about or even to resist. The ideal personality was considered to be introversion untill one century ago, before the extroversion ideal started to prevail with the rise of sales and marketing careers. As you said it takes all the colors to make a rainbow. Most of scientific, political, technological breakthroughs have been introduced by introverts.
Thank you for your very gentle and considered comment. I think this is a telling fact and I thank you for mentioning it:
You are welcome :)
Definitely lots of information to sift through, being left alone to swim in the data for hours then sleep on it could be our greatest power as introverts.. to have a constant outside perspective to remind the tribe there are cliffs ahead.
I love it! Thanks for reading and commenting.
Thanks. I do think that Steemit has the ability to support the solitary thinkers/creators in a unique way and I am certainly grateful to have benefited from that from time to time. Maybe that is what makes me concerned - it had so much potential but there is a lot of focus lately on tribes. Thanks for your careful reading and commenting, as always. : )
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