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What if social media isn’t actually social anymore—and what if that changes how creatives should use it?
In this monologue episode, I reflect on a growing realization I’ve been wrestling with for years: social media has quietly shifted from a space for sharing and connection into something much closer to corporate media. And many independent creatives have been doing a lot of unpaid work for big tech without fully realizing it.
I talk candidly about my own experience building audiences on Instagram, YouTube, and this podcast—and why the familiar promise of “just keep sharing and it will pay off” no longer feels like a fair trade. I unpack the gambling-like dynamics of algorithms, attention, and hope, and explain the one big mindset shift I’m making as I head into 2026.
This episode isn’t about quitting social media. It’s about rethinking our relationship to it, getting clearer about what we’re actually selling, and using these platforms more intentionally—as business tools, not creative homes.
🙏 A huge thank-you to all paid supporters on Patreon and on Spotify. Your support makes these thoughtful, independent episodes possible.
IN THIS EPISODE
LINKS
🎨 Inky.af — My class on creating expressive, inky illustrations using analogue techniques in Affinity (now free forever)
http://tomfroese.com/teaching/inkyaf
📗 Drawing Is Important — Book preorder available now
http://geni.us/DrawingisImportant
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CREDITS
Music and cues by Mark Allan Falk:
https://linktr.ee/semiathletic