Seeing and Being Seen

5 hours ago

The author reflects on being a youngest child who thrived on attention through creative and theatrical pursuits in youth.
In adulthood, the desire for attention persists but is channeled more privately, with the author avoiding public antics yet still feeling a need for recognition.
Attention is framed as a human need, akin to Maslow's belonging and esteem, with extremes of withdrawal or attention-seeking as potential vices.
Online platforms like YouTube and Facebook exploit this need, with most user-generated content being uncompensated but motivated by views and likes.
The internet amplifies mob behavior and virality, where anger-driven content is algorithmically promoted, leading to toxic dynamics like death threats.
The author prefers writing without promoting to avoid audience pressure, valuing freedom over engagement, and compares attention to an addictive drug.
A personal experience of finding a backlink to their blog sparked a hunger for more attention, though they resist actively seeking traffic from strangers.

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