Bursting The Bubble of Entitlement (You Don’t “Deserve” to Get Paid For Your Writing - It's Earned)
Box Cutter Co. Free Issue No. 73
Rules change. Algorithms shift. Payouts drop. I get it. You’re frustrated. Maybe even angry.
You’ve worked hard and done everything “right.” Now, it feels like the system has turned against you.
But tough love, folks: Complaining won’t fix it.
Recently, I’ve seen it all too frequently—creators, writers, freelancers—venting about how unfair social media platforms are (esp. Medium, at the moment).
Ranting about how writers and creators are getting paid less, not being seen like before, ‘likes’ are down, or how things were better ‘back then’…
Tough love folks: Platforms change.
Complaining doesn’t generate revenue, and it certainly doesn’t build toward the future. Once the venting is done, you’re still in the same situation.
A platform like Medium was always flakey and unpredictable (at the best of times), let alone as it adapts and tries to expand and adapt its business model.
Wait a second… let’s say that again… “Business Model.”
Social Media Platforms are Businesses
Substack is one. Medium is one. X (the artist formerly known as Twitter) is one. Facebook is one. LinkedIn is another.
Did you ever own a “Saturn” car? (maybe still do as it’s rusting around you).
Did you once shop at Sears, marvel at your Blackberry phone, use Yahoo!, use MySpace, or have a Blockbuster video membership?
Shit goes out of business or changes.
Look at Starbucks, for example, and its recent McDonaldization (drive-thru and convenience, not café and hang-out space). They’ve gone so far as to bring in a new CEO and various executives to ‘pivot’ its business model.
Simple reminders that businesses—platforms, companies, even entire industries—are fragile, unpredictable, and always changing.
Yet, too many writers and creators continue to place trust—and, for some, their entire livelihoods—into single platforms they don’t control. Platforms that owe them nothing.
And whose responsibility is that?
You’re not stuck. You’re not powerless. The question isn’t whether platforms will change—it’s when and how fast.
The question (and challenge) is: Will you adapt?
Or will you keep handing over your work and future to someone else, waiting for them to decide what happens next?
Or, worse, simply having to pick up the pieces when things change.
You’re not stuck. You’re not powerless. You’re just being tested.
The Fragility of Platforms (With Recent Lessons from Brazil)
Imagine you’ve invested everything in a single company on the stock market. It pays nice monthly dividends. Its stock price is going steadily up. You feel secure.
Then, the company makes a mistake or simply makes a choice to change. Or, the business it’s in simply takes a nose dive. The stock price plummets. They stop paying monthly dividends. The stock price falls further.
You’ve lost a lot of money, and you’ve lost that steady monthly dividend.
I’ve been there. It stings like F#$*!
But is there any sense in blaming the company? Or the stock market? Or the bankers financing the company? Or the economic downturn?
That’s why wise investors diversify. They don’t rely on one stock. And if they do? If they lose everything? They take responsibility (unless they're big banks, of course).
Look at what happened in Brazil recently. The government of the country banned X (formerly Twitter) in a spat with Musk, leaving businesses that rely on the platform in the dust.
Everything they’d built on X vanished overnight. Imagine if your entire business model relied on X. Hard truth: Platforms don’t owe you shit.
If you’ve put all your eggs in one basket, don’t be surprised when the basket breaks — or decides to become a rocket, or a box, or one more stat in the column of failed companies.
This can happen anywhere, at any time. Whether it’s a government ban, a platform rule change, or an algorithm shift. The only way to survive?
Diversify Your Creative Ecosystem
Don’t Rely on One Platform (or even a few)
Think of the Creator Economy like any marketplace.
You wouldn’t invest all your savings in one stock and simply hope for the best. You’d spread your investments, protecting yourself from inevitable fluctuations. The same applies here.
If your entire business is tied to one platform, you’re vulnerable. When the rules change, you’ll probably suffer.
Wise creators build across multiple platforms. Write and post in more than one place. Re-work, re-purpose, and mix and match in different arenas.
And, please, drop the sense of entitlement…
Bursting Bubbles of Entitlement
There’s a relatively common and circulating idea that if you’re writing and creating, you should get paid. I see it a lot. Been reading it on Medium, Substack, and various other platforms.
Sorry folks, it’s bullshit. No One ‘Owes’ You Anything
You aren’t entitled to be paid just because you create or write something.
You are also not entitled to get paid $XX per story per month because, in the past, you also made $XX per story per month.
For example, I made over $900 last month on Medium, one of my best months. But in no shape or form do I think I’m entitled to that much this month.
Think about a farmer’s market.
A carrot seller shows up with their carrots and expects people to buy them 🥕. But they don’t just sit there passively. They look around at the competition. They figure out how to make their carrots stand out—better quality, better price, better offer, etc.
Every week they go to market, they probably have to adapt their strategy, pricing, and offers. Just because they made $100 selling 100 carrots last week doesn’t mean they’re entitled to that this week.
It’s also not the case in the Creator Economy.
You’re not the only one selling your “carrots.” The market is crowded and busy—and growing rapidly. You have to do more than just create. You have to offer something people want.
Complaining about not getting paid or not enough is like a carrot seller sulking because no one’s buying from them or not paying enough. Hard truth: The market doesn’t care about your frustration.
Adaptation is Critical
The Creator Economy is bigger than ever, full of possibilities for those willing to adapt, iterate, and evolve. But you have to be willing to change.
Complaining isn’t a strategy. Adaptation is.
The Creators building sustainable enterprises, maybe even thriving, aren’t the ones relying on one platform or expecting success to fall into their laps. They’re the ones who iterate and adapt.
I’ve been writing and posting online relentlessly for over two years. I write and publish across multiple platforms: Medium, Substack, LinkedIn, X, Instagram, Threads, Facebook, and maintain my own website.
I also Ghostwrite and post content for others.
It’s an ecosystem approach. Every thriving ecosystem is diverse, not a monoculture. And when the climate changes, the ants and ducks don’t whine and complain; they adapt.
Consider these questions:
How can you build something lasting and diverse?
How can you connect more directly to a creative and/or creator income?
How can you connect more directly with potential audiences and readers?
Keep in mind, in the spring of 2023, investment bankers Goldman Sachs estimate the value of The Creator Economy at $250 Billion (US) annually. They also forecast it to double in size in 3-4 years. There is immense opportunity.
Control (Alt. Delete)
Platforms will continue to change. Algorithms will continue to shift. Governments may ban entire networks. You can’t control that.
Focus on the shit you can control.
You can control how you respond. Stop whining and start (or continue) building something that can last.
Diversify. Iterate. Adapt. Move forward.
Ultimately, it’s all a game. Play it like one.
Recommendations
Build your own audiences and readers—especially through email lists, a website/blog, and/or somewhere you control the connection and communication.
Post across multiple platforms. (Curious how? - Reach out and watch for the next paid subscriber issue)
Thanks for reading Box Cutter Co. a hand-crafted, ad-free, built with authenticity publication.
If you want to help keep it thriving, consider hiring me for Ghostwriting, consulting, coaching, or speaking. Consider joining the supportive crew of paid subscribers supporting with $.👇
Well said! I remember then Blockbuster was the place to be. Then Netflix took over.
It's about adapting to the changes. Easier said than done.