I don’t want millions of followers, or likes, or parasocial relationships, or sponsorship deals, or to be a darling of the algorithm… and I don’t care to be on the other side of those things either. What I seek is the basic human need for a sense of connection, and it’s clear that the current state of the online world is built around the promise of providing that… but in reality it provides the exact opposite, because it’s much easier to manipulate and profit from people when they’re unhappy.