What is the Price for Fame?
My secret ambition when I started this blog was to reach a large audience. I had visions of blogging to hundreds or thousands of readers. People around the world would ask “what did Ron write about today?” A Google search of a topic in art or aging would quickly lead to this blog. Fame and fortune would soon follow.
This desire was very naive and troubling.
Publicize or Languish
This vision of having a large readership can be ethically dangerous. The quest for fame is akin to the quest for higher profit: more readers, more subscriptions, more clicks, and more money!
To be famous and rich on the web, creating publicity is far more important than writing posts. It is tempting to find ways to ‘go viral’ to get readers.
Tempting Headlines
Here are some ways newspapers and websites create publicity and attention.
Fake News, False Facts
False information and fake news proliferate on the internet. People write almost anything to get noticed.
Provoke Controversy
If fake news doesn’t work, news channels use outrageous provocation to press our hot buttons to get us upset. The tabloids and their prominent columnists peddle sensational and controversial opinions. Their rhetoric instills curiosity and outrage.
News and information are becoming so biased and opinionated that we are wary of any information provided by the web. Facts and truth get lost to emotional reactions. Websites that provide factual information in a unbiased and rational manner are often overlooked and hard to find.
Stupidity and Misfortune
Writers provoke our curiosity by revealing the stupidity or misfortune of others.
Free Stuff or Easy Cheats
Other headlines tell us how to get more from less, to get more clicks on a webpage.
Catastrophizing Life
Headlines tell us what’s wrong with people, society or the world to get our attention.
“… it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
Macbeth, William Shakespeare
My Headlines
Based on these tried and true techniques to grab attention, I should create provocative headlines to attract readers.
Ron’s headlines as clickbait.
He shared what he had with poor peasants
Food for Thought
It’s not surprising that many industries are putting profits ahead of the quality of products they produce. If people can be persuaded to pay more money for a fancier product than why not? Give them what they think they want. It’s usually short term pleasure over long term value.
Much of the food industry tempts people to buy products with promises of more flavour, sweeter taste, easy preparation, quicker cooking, or lower prices.
We can’t be sustained by fancy packaging and instant gratification. It’s no wonder we have an ongoing worldwide health crisis.
We require nutrition that promotes health and well-being. Wholesome food may not be so profitable to the manufacturer, but it will have far more benefit to the consumer.
No! No! No!
Similarly a blog needs to omit the bombast of outrageousness and shock. It needs to offer sustenance with a deeper level of satisfaction.
I am unwilling to provoke publicity just to entice more readers. I would rather have a small faithful readership who selects substance over frivolity. This blog will provide sincere and engaging content without sensationalizing the information.
Information is not knowledge, and knowledge is not wisdom. Reading – even browsing – an old book can yield sustenance denied by a database search. Patience is a virtue, gluttony a sin.”
Thought provoking and thoughtful.
Kaien saw your paintings through internet!
It makes me smile to see the old Ron we knew had always wanted to do!
Good for you to live a life you want not your family or other obligations!
So happy for you to find your true self.
We missed you and often wondering how you are doing in Easten canada!
Suzanne
Hi Ron, You’ve put a lot of work into this post. Now we know the negatives, let’s get to why you really blog! The love of art, of seeing, of making, of picking up a pencil and drawing! And encouraging lots of others to try it- drawing, yes, but really seeing what’s out there and fighting all that’s so destructive in our world.
Thanks to all who responded to this post. We need to do our art for the right reasons- for the pure love of making marks and expressing ourselves.
Hello Ron, I read your Blog with a smile on my face. it is certainly a topic which seldom gets addressed but is one which ( I think) the Art Industry profits by enormously .. namely the idea that we could be rich and famous from our artwork…. well… good luck with that IF you don’t know the right people or are in the right place….Plus, who will be your audience in a location which uses Maud Lewis as the premium example to follow…..???
Excellent ideas and very thought provoking. I really enjoy your work!