See What Sticks · 14 May 2016
Sometimes you just need to throw stuff out there and see what sticks. Okay. That is what I always do with my blog. And believe it or not, some stuff has actually stuck. All of it really. After all, the internet is forever. Whatever you put out there on the ole World Wide Web stays there forever. Regardless of what they say. But that is a topic for another day. Rather, was a topic already. I really just want to talk about stickiness.
If anybody really knew what sticks out there, he or she would already have written a book about it and made tons of money. (I would have said bucu bucks, but who knows how to spell bucu anyway?) At any rate, the person would have fooled the masses into thinking that he (yeah, I know that all charlatans are not male, but…) knows the answer to what people think is it. But in reality, nobody knows. Nobody can predict what blog will be followed or what video will go viral. All that people know is that when somebody or something does go viral, people flock to see what all the fuss is. And it goes more viral. (If that is a thing.)
Sometimes, the fuss is legitimate and sometimes not. Today’s social media craze is full of one hit wonders. Some of them are laughing all the way to the bank, and some just wonder what hit them.
(By the way, this is not a post to see how many trite phrases I can use. Even if it seems like it. I already did that one too.)
So what really defines stickiness in the first place? I wish I knew. There are books out there discussing this very topic. Some are full of good thoughts. Others are just taking up digital space with their ones and zeroes. Or maybe even taking up valuable book shelf space that could be used for legitimate tomes like War and Peace or Sense and Sensibility or my favorite book to hate, Wuthering Heights. Do not get me wrong, there is certainly a place for books that I love to hate or that I never got past the first couple pages even if they were assigned by a professor but I had notes from a friend that got me through the final test. There is definitely a place for them. It is called the recycle bin.
But seriously, if you read all the books about all the theories about how trends are created, you would find one thing for certain. Nobody really knows how to create a trend. People can have great success in creating the next great mousetrap or writing the next great novel. But success can be fleeting. And going viral on the interweb (something every blogger, videographer, musician, and other type of wannabe wants) is something that nobody can predict. Regardless of what the book jackets or promos tell you.
Which is why, we all just need to throw stuff out there to see what sticks. Artists may never be recognized for their greatness in their own lifetimes anyway, so why worry about going viral or getting accolades? Just do what you love and keep throwing stuff out there. Then hopefully… hopefully, somebody will see it. Hopefully, somebody will recognize you for it. Hopefully, some of it will stick.
© 2016 Michael T. Miyoshi
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