As someone who has been both popular and deliberately fled that popularity multiple times, I can say I much much MUCH prefer being unpopular. Being popular gets you accused of some very, very strange things by people who you've never interacted with and you have no idea how they know you at all.
If I wanted to become popular on the internet, I know exactly how it's done, but I never really want it. I have never deliberately tried to enter someone's group or a clique I perceived. I have never tried to befriend a particular person in order to get in on a share of their fame.
For me, popularity seems to be an unfortunate side-effect of enthusiasm. If I am really enthusiastic about something, I reach out to other people who are also enthusiastic, other people who are also enthusiastic reach out to me, and our enthusiasm becomes one big pile of positive happy enthusiasm that... negative unhappy less enthusiastic people see and react to on their own without ever reaching out to me personally. The sadness and accusations that result bother me and discourage future enthusiasm on my part.
Whereas if I stay relatively quiet, I can enjoy my small contributions to small things in my small voice and not suddenly be told that I'm a vast unapproachable monolith of intimidating glory by someone who's never said a word to me otherwise.
It's much comfier in the quieter corner, although the number of people I RP with these days can be counted on one hand.
If I wanted to become popular on the internet, I know exactly how it's done, but I never really want it. I have never deliberately tried to enter someone's group or a clique I perceived. I have never tried to befriend a particular person in order to get in on a share of their fame.
For me, popularity seems to be an unfortunate side-effect of enthusiasm. If I am really enthusiastic about something, I reach out to other people who are also enthusiastic, other people who are also enthusiastic reach out to me, and our enthusiasm becomes one big pile of positive happy enthusiasm that... negative unhappy less enthusiastic people see and react to on their own without ever reaching out to me personally. The sadness and accusations that result bother me and discourage future enthusiasm on my part.
Whereas if I stay relatively quiet, I can enjoy my small contributions to small things in my small voice and not suddenly be told that I'm a vast unapproachable monolith of intimidating glory by someone who's never said a word to me otherwise.
It's much comfier in the quieter corner, although the number of people I RP with these days can be counted on one hand.
![[Image: g9ASfFg.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/g9ASfFg.jpg)
