I got an email from eBay, this morning. It was your typical "marketing piece" advising me on how make more money selling on eBay.
This year actually marks my 20th year of using eBay. To put that in perspective, the retail/auction giant currently has 167 million users. My account number is 4 digits long...
Chives in bloom
"These Popular and Trending Items"
Anyway, the marketing email suggested I could "improve my sales" by selling a list of "popular" and "trending" items.
I thought about that, for a moment.
Then I thought about the reality that everybody is trying to improve their sales by offering certain "popular and trending" items. Which also means that the competition to sell "popular and trending" items is fierce, and sellers have to accept razor thin profits in a market that's utterly saturated with products.
I also thought about Steemit, and how a lot of people here are desperately trying to create a "popular" post that will end up on the "trending" page.
The Problem with Popular and Trending
As consumers, there's little doubt that people are drawn to certain "popular" things. The same could be said when it comes to web content... and publishing on Steemit.
A very popular butterfly
The problem, however, is that everyone is trying to get a slice of that particular "popularity pie." Why? Because it's not only very visible, we also know it's very big. At least for the moment.
Unfortunately, a couple of dynamics play into the popularity market. One is that whereas you may have an extremely large pie, there are so many people competing for that pie that the average slice of the pie quickly becomes microscopic.
"But wait!" you say, "I've seen people make millions/thousands in this particular product/service/topic!"
You're absolutely right!
And typically, those "people" are the "early adopters" who already have extensive expertise and a huge following. They are not YOU. Odds are you will make 17 cents. Which is also why I didn't even bother to read the details of eBay's recommendations for me to increase my sales.
The GREATER Global Problem with Popular and Trending
An idyllic house in the woods, Denmark
On a more personal philosophical level, the increasing emphasis society seems to place on "popularity" concerns me, because it seems to reduce the variety of choices we have.
I first started worrying about the "WalMart-ization of commerce" when I had an art gallery some 25 years go.
Whereas we can feel as we might about giant corporations killing small individual businesses through mass marketing at lower prices, there's a secondary "issue" there.
And that issue is that the big giant companies with the low prices don't have the specialized selections of small sellers. They have "the low, low price" on the 20 most popular items, but not the selection of 100 different choices the (now defunct) small seller offered.
In short, the obsession with "trending and popular" ultimately robs us of choice.
How About Just BEING YOURSELF!
So, what's really my point here?
Which path are you going to choose?
Of you have an idea-- for writing; for a product-- and you are passionate about it, stop worrying so much about the "popular" angle, and instead focus on bringing the very best you have to the world.
"Popularity" tends to mislead us with alluringly large numbers... but it bears remembering that you are far better off cornering 50% of a $100,000 market than struggling to get 0.001% of a $100 million market. Unfortunately, we get blinded by the big numbers... and fall into the trap of believing that WE-- of the thousands trying-- have the "special sauce" to make us riches.
Personally, I'm just going to do my own thing. Sometimes that might be popular, and sometimes it won't. And that's really OK by me!
What do YOU think? Do you catch yourself worrying too much about "what's popular," rather than just doing your own thing? If you're a small business owner, have you noticed how the "WalMart-ization" of the world gradually has reduced our number of choices? Have you ever written on Steemit in an effort to make it onto the "trending" page? How did that work out for you? Leave a comment-- share your experiences-- start the conversation!
(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)