The death of the follower, and where we go from here
The internet is going through a shift. There used to be a thing called a “follower.” It allowed publishers, creators, and anyone online to build a community around their work. But this piece of foundational architecture for human creativity and communication – the “follow” – has been threatened.
Earlier this year, Patreon's CEO Jack Conte gave a talk where he put this internet-wide shift in historical context from his own perspective as a creator. After all, the power of the "follow" (and the pain points of ad-driven platforms) is how and why he started Patreon in the first place. Jack shares his thoughts on where the web will go in the future, what creators can do about it all, and how this shift is guiding everything we're building at Patreon.
It's why we're fired up to create more direct ways for you to connect with your community, in a space where you're incentivized to make what you want.
How are you finding meaning and community as a creative person on the internet? What does the feature of creativity on the web look like to you? We'd love to hear your thoughts.
— The Patreon product team
Comments (19)
Thank you very much
Happy New Year
Connecting with the community is so important. Thank you Patreon for giving creators this great platform of opportunity.
patreon should implement like fb main feed where we can share our works to show on a main page to get viewers, why on earth patreon would like to rely from other source of traffic from other social media? Patreon CEO plz answer? or u better hire me as creative Director for this creative plan you seems stuck from the beginning.
The problem is, when they control what you see, they can charge you to show your stuff to people. It's now not a public interest, but who can buy your views. This is why people are peacing out, because if you show me what I don't like and don't take into account my likes and only show me what gives you the max money. I get porn constantly and real people who don't have the money that these prons sites or gambling site, or scamtubers, then what's left? Small creators peace out and the larger creator burn out, what's left? Well I don't want to be on a site that's not listening to me. This is the death of all these large social media sites. They are killing themselves for currency.
It's great to be here. I launch December 21st!
Amazing video; I cried 5min in. Appreciate the perspective
Thank you! I love patreon and I wish I started creating here much, much sooner!
SE NO FUTURO PODEREMOS FAZER TUDO , PORQUE NÃO FAZER O TUDO AGORA ?
This is a tough one. I was strictly on LinkedIn as I'm in medical education and healthcare awareness. The posts typically hit a niche, and have varied outcomes for "followers." I came to patreon in hopes of having a more creative outlet for my content, and less jargon for the docs I tend to write for. Having the ability to make fun videos, that also hit an educational value is optimal for me, and patreon nailed it. Now I just need people to see my page...thats the tough part, is getting people to the site.
I totally understand. I'm personally also looking for more ways to increase visibility to my Patreon. This is the toughest hurdle and I wish Patreon would invest in assisting us with this. Maybe SEO options for Google, Social Media or something similar.
is such a wonderful platform for everyone. I just started here, and I’ve found it to be so easy to use and navigate. The concept of supporting and discovering art is truly amazing. It’s not just about me—though I’m excited to be a part of it—but I really appreciate the platform’s ability to connect creators with their audiences in such a meaningful way. I love how Patreon makes it possible for people to support and experience art in all its forms. It’s a beautiful idea that truly benefits both creators and fans
Thanks
Hi friends 👍😉
Thanks for a great video Jack great explanation of the difference between You tube goals vs Patreon. Being on both it is interesting to see things from others perspective as it can be difficult at times as a small creator trying to navigate everything.
Have to leave before it's over, but will return. Love it - history and trajectory are fascinating. Eager to watch more videos...
I've been on Patreon for possibly a year, and thought I was at a roadblock.. my purpose was and still is edutainment...I love presenting complex education in a fun way that I actually get to use humor and creativity...Patreon is that platform...hoping for new growth and success soon...thanks
In the time before Google people speculated that 70% of people were lurkers, 29% of people were talks and 1% of people were “doers.” I used to subscribe to that that theory when I didn’t have as much experience. Not that I know everything now but… you ever had a coworker you thought you HATED and then met their party-alter ego in another setting and they were fun? I think we all have sides to us. I’m a “follower” still when it comes to architecture. But it’s hobby, I’m not an expert. I just like looking at buildings. It’s not that serious. I’m natural quiet though not shy? But let someone talk community and building together you can’t shut me up. So it makes sense that this concept would evolve as the internet ages.
I find it's really dependent on the specific community and platform. The two small corners of the internet (aside from patreon) where I've found following still works/matters is reddit (provided you make your own subforum there) and blogs (by way of RSS feeds). Both are highly dependent on whether your fans are in those places, but if they are it's a great way to build connection and community.