Everything I do on the Internet is a hobby. I make music. I create silly videos for the music I make. I write on this blog. I complain about the government on Instagram. I don’t do any of this for money. I have two jobs where I earn money to survive.
Even my posts on Instagram protesting the government, calling out billionaires, speaking out against A.I., is more or less a hobby. Well, “hobby” may not be the most accurate word. It’s an activity at least. Yeah, I’m standing up for something, but in the end, it’s just another social media post. I post that content to let the world know where I stand and to rage against the machine, but I don’t look at my online presence as some great important work.
The real work – helping those in need, taking a stand against corruption, feeding the hungry, engaging in mutual aid, protecting those targeted by hate, and creating an environment that’s safe for marginalized people – all that happens out in the real world. Yes, it’s good and right to speak out against corruption, oppression, and bigotry. Speaking out is necessary, but if all we do is post our grievances on social media, nothing will change except the algorithm.
I started writing this blog post after thinking a lot about what I do online. I make music. I make videos to go with the music I make. I write on this blog. I don’t have as much time to work on these projects because those two jobs I have keep me busy, but I try to make time when I can.
I finished a video project called Mercenary Wars that I had been working on every day for three months. It was something I wanted to do for a long time but wasn’t sure whether I even could. I’m a self-taught video maker who creates everything – the music and the visuals – with my phone. And my self-taught methods are closer to MacGyver than Nikola Tesla. My entire YouTube channel is a hobby based on a personal challenge: “What can I accomplish using only my cell phone?”
Ask your parents if you don’t know who MacGyver is.
It’s not professional quality, and that wasn’t the goal anyway. The goal was to challenge myself, put the music I make to a different use, and tell a story in a series of videos. I state on my YouTube channel that I do not monetize. I don’t ever plan to. Nothing wrong with making a little money off your YouTube videos, but that isn’t my goal. Half my videos would get demonetized anyway because I use a lot of samples in my music and do remixes of known songs.
I say all this because I think we have lost the concept of having a hobby for the sake of the hobby and the benefits getting involved in a hobby can provide, especially online hobbies like content creation.
Social media has influenced us to see everything transactionally. Can I monetize this video? How many views can I get? How many subscribers? Attention is currency.
Again, if these are your goals, that’s fine. Everyone I follow and like on YouTube does this. I’m not anti-getting the bag. We gotta do what we gotta do to survive, especially in this economy. But sometimes, a hobby can just be a hobby.
I started making music as a way to exercise my brain after the car hit me in 2022. I started making videos to go with the music for the same reason. I was recovering and unable to do much physically for a while. I had received a bad head injury. I wanted to make sure my brain still kinda works. And I needed a hobby to give me a challenge and some joy.
Now that I’m mostly recovered (sort of kinda – long story but I’m good), I’m still making music and videos on YouTube. Still doing it for the same reasons, plus I enjoy having a creative outlet. I feel compelled to create and I don’t want my creative process compromised by money. That sounds more dramatic than it is. I just want to enjoy my hobby. I’m not a professional YouTuber and I don’t want to be.
Enjoy your life as best you can. Not everything has to be a transaction.
Dead-Logic 