The internet. What a place, right?
A digital buffet of knowledge, help when you're stuck, endless entertainment to distract you from, well… everything, and enough fun to make your eyeballs tired from scrolling.
It's also a straight-up hellhole. Seriously.
You can't trust half the pixels you see
There are more shady characters lurking than in a film noir alleyway, all trying to spam their garbage, take advantage of your good nature, or just flat-out mislead you down some digital rabbit hole.
Social media, the worst culprit here.
On one hand, it's been a genuine source of inspiration for me. I've stumbled upon some truly amazing creators and influencers, people who actually make me think or laugh… or both 🙏.
On the other hand…
I've lost count of the times some sleazy DM popped up with an “incredible opportunity”. Sure, it is.
Or the endless parade of bot accounts leaving generic, soulless comments.
That’s the digital world we live in.
Even the good ones
Even those “seemingly” trustworthy folks, the ones with the blue checks and the perfectly curated feeds, can be about as genuine as a politician during election season.
You see those numbers in the screenshot up there? Over 100K subscribers and a cool 900+ paid ones.
Big. Fat. Lie.
It's incredibly easy to fake numbers like these in screenshots and even screen recordings. Anyone with a smartphone and five minutes can brew up some impressive-looking stats.
And I assure you, many do. YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, LinkedIn, Medium, even Substack is full of those.
Sometimes, it's sad, really.
The Bottom Line
Here's a quote that sums it up with brutal honesty:
“Fake people have an image to maintain. Real people just don’t care.” ― Hachiman Hikigaya
So, let's cut the crap, people. Be real.
It's the thing we love.
It's the thing that matters.
Be real. It's way more refreshing.