Our Google Nest speaker just told us a fart joke. Normally when we ask it a question, she gives an answer. But lately, once she's done that, she says I have more I can tell you on this subject and she gets so eager to tell us more she stops listening, and we have a devil of a job to get her to shut up. The joke, however, was a good one.
I've been writing this blog for many years now. It gets at most around 1,300 + views a month on average, which is modest. There are things one could do to increase visibility. But that goes against the amount of time investment I'm prepared to give it. I use it as a way of putting my writing out there, its an offshoot not a central existential focus. Its a small bit of creativity just for me, about me, by me, me, me. Sometimes the spelling or grammar mistakes are all my own, but quite often these days they are created through auto correct, when I'm not looking.
Then once you make it public there is the responsive algorithm. You might say something outrageous or extreme, and the algorithm picks up you've said something contentious and gives it more prominence. Bad things traveling faster than good. Even your insignificant extreme right wing activist, can suddenly find themselves with a huge profile and access to a means of disseminating their toxic views, unheard of previously. It also promotes and loves the mega loud mouths like Piers Morgan and Katie Hopkins, or low life's like Andrew Tate that garner far more attention than they ever deserve. They've learnt how they can feed that algorithm and their career flourishes through their notoriety. Its not that people have suddenly got worse, its that they are no longer ignorable. The algorithim loves bad people, because they're good for producing clickbait, attracting views, for keeping them awash in the endless supply of stuff, the empty headed, the bizzare, the shocking, the pop tarts of whatever gender. Reasoned debate is just not sexy enough.
I enjoy the process of writing. Inevitably I fictionalise to a varying degree any experience. Quite often through wishing to write something that is entertaining or witty. My Carrot Cake Reviews are perhaps where I venture into the made up frothing at the mouth extreme. I don't really get all that incensed and stroppy over a poorly made Carrot Cake, ( spoiler alert! ) its just enjoyable to pretend I do. So I can see the appeal in being outrageous just for the sake of it. Then there is the need to keep upping the ante. It could become addictive, to go still further, and further.
I keep a watchful eye on me and what I decide to put out there. And should I slip up Hubby may gently tap my shoulder and say - 'do you really want to put that out there.' You never know when you might find yourself going too far,and unwittingly triggering that algorithms less pleasant benefits. The blog can demand my attention. It eats up material from my pen. All this is within my purview to take control of. In recent years, since I changed the blog header to Cornucopia, I've adopted more of a magazine format and style to what I post. Social media is not a great place for longer form writing. Currently it's a practice to keep things relatively brief, parceling up longer form pieces into a shorter series of posts. So even I do find myself consciously feeding shorter attention spans.
The shop is showing early, but fitful signs, of things picking up. But it can be a bit of an emotional roller coaster, really good days followed by some of the worst we've had. After a bad day, staying optimistic can prove tricky, and after a good day, not becoming over intoxicated. This is the sort of territory we daily emotionally negotiate. We continue to share the day in the shop between us, doing mornings or afternoons. It does help keep it more manageable. Sleep has been shorter and more restless of late, never a good start on any day for remaining positive. Occasionally I slip up and disheartened turns into despairing. But then I remember a can of carbonated fruit juice I drank the other day, and its strap line encouraging you to - Feel a surge of sparkling fruitiness - then I chuckle and all is right with the world for one moment.
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