it was such a good weekend! despite being rather cold for this time of year, i had a lovely barbecue with friends at my favorite spot. what did you all get up to?
just finished reading this thread about financial nihilism by travis kling: <x.com/travis_kling/status/1764696621097378299?s=46&t=2d9jdwvyFWUdq9Lbe0_kIA>
it put into words so many of the feelings i've been having about the state of affairs in america. people tend to ask me why i chose to live and work in switzerland after growing up in the US. there are a few reasons, of course, one being that i wanted to explore this half of my heritage. but the answer that i often give is that, as a person entering the workforce in my early twenties, i simply felt that switzerland offered me a lot more in terms of financial opportunity (the culture can leave things to be desired, but that's for another day).
and why was financial opportunity so important to me at that age? because i'd seen what was going on in the US. i'd felt the palpable air of desolation, growing stronger year-by-year. i was afraid, and fear guided my decision-making. sometimes i regret this.
i seldom go back the the US, but when i do, the atmosphere among my friends and younger brother is heavy. there is a distinct lack of hope for upward mobility and an overarching sense that bothering to try would be futile.
one of my closest friends lives in the pacific northwest. a few years ago, she was hit by a car while crossing the street on foot when she had the right of way. the person who hit her was not insured. she's saddled with tens of thousands of dollars in medical debt. add that to a few hundred thousand in student loans, and it must feel like being buried alive. how can someone ever imagine getting out from under that psychological weight? she's given up on that hope entirely -- and this isn't a unique story. there are so many others just like her.
it makes complete sense that so many young people turn to desperate attempts to "make it" -- the "spray and pray on memecoins" approach to finance is little more than a symptom of a society that has profoundly failed its youth:
"Why not put $500 into a memecoin that could 50x, knowing that you could likely lose most or all of it? It’s not like the $500 is enough to make any difference anyways. Neither is $1k or $5k. That mindset, which is becoming pervasive in America, is financial nihilism. This is the zeitgeist for young Americans, you’re naïve to think otherwise. And it’s a huge driver of shitcoining."
i definitely recommend reading the thread if you're interested in this topic. it's very relevant to crypto culture.
but a creek could never be that deep
zora.co/collect/base:0xd13ff7669906d947150238a21b9ce1da94d8f894/12
my shortlist of tips for creators – summarizing from my presentation on the @phaver creator call this afternoon.
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don’t silo yourself to one network – decentralized social is growing and different networks and their respective platforms attract different kinds of users. using tools like phaver that let you access more than one network helps you expand your reach.
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vary your strategy by network – different networks and apps have different audiences. take some time to get to know them so you can adapt what you post. for instance, one might be better for text-based discussion while another is more suited to visuals.
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above all, be consistent – the more consistent you are with creating valuable content and showing up regularly (though don’t forget to take mental health breaks), the more consistently your account will grow. valuable content is something that will add to and improve someone’s day, whether it’s helpful, inspiring, unique, beautiful, or thought-provoking. if you can’t post high quality posts all the time, then spend more time on engagement. start conversations with people, ask meaningful questions and you will get the same.
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