Despite the potentially philosophical title, this is a pretty pragmatic post about the illusion of time in regards to activity and outcomes on Hive. I often write about my time on Hive and how I have been here since early 2017, but the time I have spent here or that I have been on Hive, doesn't matter nearly as much as the amount and type of activity I have done whilst here.
I mention this because I often get comments that look at the date of account creation and say something like "I have been here from 2017 too, and I am still a little fish", as if the similar age of our accounts and the vast difference in outcomes are proof that the system is rigged or only the rich can "win" - which is obviously bullshit for anyone who has been following my account for the last 4 years.
However, just like everything in life, Hive isn't fair, because outcomes depend on a whole range of aspects that matter, but are largely out of our control. Is it fair that I can write? Is it fair that I am not six foot five and can play basketball like Michael Jordan? Is it fair that I am willing to work up to 20 hours a day? Is it fair that I have no economic safety net? Is it fair that I have the experiences I do?
None of these things are really up to me from a talent perspective, but some of them I can affect through my mindset and activity in order to nudge the results. Is it fair that I have to work as hard as I have to get to this point on Hive?
I came across a comment that mentioned the "I have been here too" kind of thing and when I investigated a bit further, I discovered they had almost as many posts as they did comments, and that wasn't very much, plus they also had a gap of a year or two and seemed to be pretty sporadic with their activity. Is that a useful comparison? Someone commented about how they were the same, and looking at their posts, there was a difference again, with a lot of posts, but a lot of them were one-liner kinds of things with a link to something else, by someone else. There looked to be some okay quality mixed randomly in there too - but again, is this comparable?
Content matters a lot on Hive, but people generally focus on the individual pieces of content that gets a high reward and complain because they have just posted something decent and earned far less. There aren't actually that many accounts that are getting high rewards on low quality often anymore, though I am sure it does happen from time to time. However, even though there is an immutable blockchain and everything is recorded, most people are never going to go back in time and see the journey of any individual account. Consistency is a key component of success at pretty much anything.
But, then there is the content itself, where the content has to be considered valuable enough to consistently get rewarded. There are many types of content that can earn, but one also has to consider what kind of platform this is and what kinds of people are here and what they are interested in. Is it really a surprise that crypto or Hive content is popular among people who are heavily invested in crypto and Hive?
If you look at Trending, you will see some of the same people there scattered through quite a lot of random creators, but it isn't cronyism, it is the development of trust between content creator and the consumer. This happens in all consumer areas where people become somewhat loyal to brands that they have used and come to trust. That trust is built on consistency of product that sets a consumer expectation that when they buy, they know what they are going to get. This happens for all manner of goods, from the most expensive to the cheapest, but where the value is highest, is in the areas where there is a scarcity of some kind.
A content creator is able to offer scarcity value in various ways, but the most likely target is differentiation of the product, so that while it can reduce the size of the audience, that audience can become loyal and even advocates for the creator. Developing advocacy is very important in social networks, as it creates the conditions for social proofing and word-of-mouth distribution. But, differentiation alone isn't enough, as it still has to engage the interest of the consumer, which makes it quite a challenging line to find, as what is interesting is also often quite common (like Hive content) so differentiating whilst still remaining within the topic confines takes a fair amount of effort.
For me, I have my own style and processes for developing my content, but a lot of it has come through trial and error as well as paying attention to the results of many approaches across the community. Since I like to observe social interactions, Hive is a natural fit for my interest area and it gives me experience that I can use in my content about Hive, as well as many, many other things. Not only do I observe here, but I have the "luck" to work two different professional jobs that puts me in direct relationship with a very wide range of people. I say "luck" because I didn't choose all the factors that led me to today, but I also didn't sit back and wait for them to happen to me. Is it fair that I have two jobs when some people can't get one?
Well, this is the thing with the luck of it. Because I was struggling to find a job that I was really interested in, qualified for and would pay enough, I started my own business and worked to build it. I was then able to get a secondary job, based on my track record and skills that I learned and demonstrated by building my own business. Is it luck? Yes, because I still didn't have a choice in all of the factors involved, but now I have the "pleasure" of working more than other people. Other people have the skills to do similar, but not all of them have the will.
This isn't fair, yet it isn't fair for everyone. However, it seems that when we evaluate ourselves against others, we always make the assumption that the people who we perceive as doing better than us,, had better conditions in which to do well, that they come from money, that they were born with skills or often, that they are cutting corners or cheating in some way to get the results they do. It isn't often that we compare someone we believe is doing better than us to ourselves and say, "they have the results because they are willing to do what I am not".
For most, it is like the fear of investing money into something, they are scared of the loss, they want guarantees. Everyone "knows" that money attracts money, yet very few are willing to use their money to attract more. On Hive, people want the quick return equivalent of buying the right meme coin, without any risk. There are no guarantees on Hive, so putting a lot of effort into content, building relationships and developing trust doesn't mean that "success" will arrive, but not doing these things pretty much ensures that content creator success isn't even a possibility.
But remember that even in all of these factors mentioned throughout this post, there is a difference in what some people will consider consistency, quality, engaging, useful and valuable. It is because of this that while I like to observe and analyze behaviors and I like to discover how things are connected - the safest approach for me is making sure that I enjoy what I do here, that while I enjoy the rewards of my work, I can also get value from the process itself.
For those who are actually experienced in this world, they likely know there is more to financial success than work, it also requires doing the right work at the right time. While there is a lot of luck involved in many factors of our life, most people will discover that the successful amongst us will often work their asses off to be there, but they likely wouldn't have the motivation to do so, if they only did it for the money. The money is the byproduct of their activity and when they start investing it for passive income, it isn't actually passive at all, it is a multiplier upon the outcomes of their past activities.
When people say "it isn't worth my time" it might be because they think that what they are earning today has a static value into the future, but that is not the case. When time is applied to factors, the outcomes can change remarkably and perhaps crypto has one of the best examples of this, because once upon a time in the past, two pizzas cost 400 million dollars worth of Bitcoin.
I have worked for many hours for cents on Hive and I have done it daily for years, observing, learning, developing my skills, building up a brand, generating (hopefully) trust and producing and directing my content so that it sits in a little niche by itself. It is adjacent to many, overlaps with some, but it is uniquely mine and as such, scarce. This doesn't mean it is valuable for anyone else, but that is up to them to consider.
Time is a resource, but it is how it is used that gives it value. Luck is a resource too, but it is very volatile and outside of our control, so in order to benefit from it, one has to invest regardless of it - be prepared for when it arrives, and when it doesn't. Preparation takes time and that time might amount to nothing, or it might be the most valuable time ever spent.
Fair is an illusion, it only exists in the safety of our imagination. Magical thinking.
Feeling lucky?
Time will tell.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]