Swell Culture: Surfing the ebb & flow of change.
They interact with the audience on whole, even things like YouTube videos, there's a bunch of comments underneath and it's rare that the creator will interact with the people below. And even if they do, it's often still perpetuating the brand or the idea or a persona or what have you. It's not really a conversation, it's not really a connection or human to human, it's performer to audience. These are not judgment calls in any way. This just is how things are
And I'm reevaluating how I do that. So that is what this is all about. I would love to hear your thoughts. I would love for this to be a conversation
Over the last year or two, I've learned that I need the think you think you conversations for my mental well being. And those taps are drying up. And it's not to say that I can't have them and won't have them in the future. There's just fewer opportunities, a lot of grief, I guess you could say, from a lot of different facets. But I agree
Binati Sheth
@Binati_Sheth · 4:41
So this is what happens. This is something that I never voice out loud, but, you know, this is something I keep at the back of my mind. Oftentimes these social media apps are not the problem. The problem is the people that get on the apps. And whether people are going to Twitter or Instagram or Facebook or Spotify or Swell, people are it's the same bunch of people, right? Because the ones who are offline are completely offline
Not only grief, but adjusting one's expectations, how and where and when we're going to find or create what it is we're looking for. As I was talking to Zen Mama above, I think, you know, I think I've told you this, that I've often felt like I was an outsider, that I'm an alien on this planet. And Social Audio has given me spaces in order to find conversations, to find the ability to dig into ideas
Binati Sheth
@Binati_Sheth · 4:59
So I'm at a loss for words there. But I really respect that you thought this out loud and it does give you away, this well in that you are an authentic person who feels very deeply and instead of, I would say, valueing in this sadness. I don't know whether you have read Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami, but in Norwegian Wood, do not do spoilers
Whatever it is, I'm just as guilty. But there's those moments of, I guess, emotion, and you're in it and all you can see is the other instead of yourself, of how dare they or Why can't they or whatever. The thing is, and I think you're right and a lot of that frustration comes with seeing the line as it arrives or comes up to the surface of the water, so to speak, but also asking, why must we tow it?
Oh, by the way, now I am so curious about this phone call that made you ugly cry. I might pick up the book just for that reason. And then I'll be like, okay, whether I like the story or not, I have to hurry up and get to that phone call. And then if I do hurry up, maybe the phone call won't have the same impact if I don't have the lead up. So, you know. Anyway, I'm so intrigued
Wren .
@aBirdieOnaWire · 4:37
Swell, to me, felt a lot like that back then. You connected with people, and you connected with kind of a community of like minded people through your words and stringing together sentences. And I found that to be the same here, especially with the group of people that I kind of cultivated and I kind of had as a circle of people I talked with and those who brought me into theirs. And it was really refreshing
Dewuan .
@FryedOreo · 4:58
It seemed the strongest, but really it was the strongest for me, man. They had people coming up on Anchor who didn't care. They didn't respond to anybody in the community, and they were having like 800 listens per episode. Community didn't even factor. So that's why they got rid of it. You had fresh grassroots people coming in, destroying the numbers that even the Anchor featured people were doing. That just wasn't an effective business model
Swell Team
@Swell · 0:15
And I'm so grateful for that. I'm glad I didn't delete it. I'm glad we're having these various conversations and talking about these various aspects of it and how we feel about it and what we think about it. Thank you for sort of holding up that mirror and thank you for your kind words. You've inspired me to act on something I've been thinking about but keep putting off
I'm like, Here we are, however long later. And I'm like, he was right. D*** it, he was right. I miss him being around, and I miss that that was a unique username that he didn't use anywhere else. So there's no way to ever find him again. But if only he knew the impact he left. He made several other great points
Dewuan .
@FryedOreo · 4:55
Then here goes Anchor, and then here goes Swell and beyond. It's always going to be a necessary force, and it still is. I wouldn't say an anomaly, but it's outside the box in terms of expression, connecting and communication. So the ebb and flow really applies to a lot, even to my mood towards the platforms. I remember before I had a debate on you about that with you about the idea of being a part of the community
Aditi Singh
@Adititalks · 1:22
Hi Christina, thank you for telling us so, you know, relatable things about Swell and I completely agree with each of your points. We are here breaking the walls, replying so frequently on each other's podcast, making a talking circle and networking well in shorter form and we can do it well. And not everyone may have time to record long podcasts, invite guests on their podcast and maybe initially the people may not have that much of connections to call people out there to record a podcast with them
And it sort of comes out of conversations like this. And there's so much beauty here, and I feel like this entire conversation is embodying. All these things that we talk about that we really value and that we really find important, and it's reinvigorating and it's exciting and it's what we're all here for. It's that natural ebb and flow. And I think that's inevitable
Thank you. It's nice to know that what you put out there is relatable and that you're not alone. So I really appreciate your response. And we really do have an amazing platform here with lots of possible ways of how we can use it. And I'm very grateful that swell exists. And I just wanted to say welcome to the community. Welcome to the Swell community
I'm not really that active. I'm like every now and then I'll put out a Swell. Like, I'll put out one Swell a day. When you're doing podcasts, you have to be consistently and I'm not consistent enough. So Anchor, it just wasn't for me anymore. And I feel that I lost a lot of my old recordings that I put a lot of work into. I feel like I put a lot of work into them and they just like what?
I want there to be disagreement, not necessarily for the conflict, but for the digging out of the exploration of ideas, right? If we always have people agreeing with us, then we're not going to learn anything new. And it's so important
Wren .
@aBirdieOnaWire · 3:37
Yeah, my mother in law lives with me, and, you know, okay, like, tonight got to take out the trash because trash in the morning, and it just it's like, just mayhem. And I never get, you know, a quiet moment, and I was like, God, can I just take a minute? Can I just go to the restroom and, you know, go potty for second?
And sometimes I forget that when I get lost in the frustration and anger or the pandemonium or what have you. Yeah. Anyway, thank you for the happy tears and the inspiration and for being here
Okay, if I just wanted to be a fly in the wall and see what people are thinking but to actually have conversations I just didn't feel drawn into anything like I do here. And of course if this is primarily where you are getting your social outlet, it's going to bring big feelings and I feel you because I feel this way about the world. I was always such an optimist and one to like people so much and for me certain things happened
I can see the worth there instead of those comments weighing as heavy as they did, as they do at times. Yeah, clubhouse has changed a lot. It was very performative in the very beginning, and then it shifted into more conversations. That's where I really appreciated. And then people left the platform, and now it's become much more vitriol and hate and arguing, and it's not for me. I want the exploration