Ok, Vix...
First of all, “creators” do not have a normal work process like 90% of jobs do. You don’t have a clear feedback process, or a way of setting goals and being held accountable to them by anyone but yourself. Most people at work get feedback at some point which is less than great; they get pulled up on mistakes and are often told to apologise and find ways to rectify it; they have regular appraisals and are actively given areas to work on to improve their performance.
Creators/influencers have NONE of that. Management doesn’t give enough of a shit to help you work on your content without you explicitly asking, and even then, they’re only in it for the money. They will only help you be more profitable in the easiest sense.
Now, many freelancers, small business owners and similar don’t have management holding them to account, but they do have customers and clients, and their feedback. This is similar to creators, but most make a huge mistake in only taking feedback from brands onboard. Creators should 100% be listening to their audiences, because ultimately they have the power to improve or ruin your reach, your influence, your importance. They are actually the key to better brand deals.
So in the diagram, the “challenger” Vix refers to is most likely a follower with a valid point. Admittedly, it’s probably more personal criticism than you’d get in an office job, but that’s just the way the cookie crumbles. It’s your choice to share your life as a way of making a living, and there will always be downsides to any career choice. Own it.
As a creator, if you continually ignore, disengage and block your “challengers”, you are doing your own work a disservice. Of course, there will be bad apples who are just spewing hate, and some who will start with a valid point but end up waffling nasty things, but it is part of your job to seek out the valid criticism and helpful comments, just as it is a normal person’s imperative to receive feedback at work and improve upon it if they want to advance up the chain and make more money.
Look at celebrities who recognise the public dislike them and then try to change their behaviour and image - Anne Hathaway comes to mind. She knew that she needs to be more “bankable” to make the most of her career, because it’s not just about talent, it’s about likeability too. She recognised the public disliked how she came across, and she toned it down! And honestly, I feel far more sorry for someone like her having to tone her behaviour down, because she actually has a talent; she didn’t sign up to show us her personal life in the same way a creator or influencer does.
Anyway, back to Vix’s diagram. By ignoring and disengaging on your own platforms as a creator, you force “challengers” to seek forums or other social media to air their views.
Forums are inherently nastier and more intensely critical, for a few different reasons. Firstly, because we’re not saying it directly to you, there is less need for politeness. Secondly, because there is a herd mentality, and therefore edgier or nastier comments can seem normal after a while. But most importantly, “challengers” congregate in forums because the average creator deletes every comment, whether fair or not, and because those who end up here are often former supporters who got entirely fed up of engaging with your content and finding it half-arsed, hypocritical, problematic, unclear, unethical or whatever else, attempting to voice that, and being deleted/blocked/shouted down/having rabid fans set upon you/repeatedly ignored.
You didn’t listen to their feedback. You had a fan, a follower, a potential paying customer in the palm of your hand, and you did nothing to retain them. It is a failing on the part of the creator, who holds the power, not the challenger.
So-called “challengers” can be a gift, if you let them. But you’re all too far up your own arses, and too far removed from the reality of work, to understand that.
You absolutely had the chance to defend yourself, Vix. You had many chances. Instead, like most other creators, you refused to engage or consider a point of view different from your own, and thus, a follower went from devoted to disgruntled.