Yes, you read that right – this is my personal problem. Since you’ve already stumbled onto my personal blog (which admittedly is a bit hidden), you’re probably curious what I really think.
My problem (short version): On the Internet, far too many people seem to believe that the moment they discover “Smart Homes,” “AI,” or any other buzzword, they instantly become experts who can do anything. But if you scratch below the surface, you usually find that they’re more interested in looking good online than actually delivering value. And the sad truth is: you can’t “fix” that.
If you crave attention, sure—you could start a blog or post tutorials. You could even go to therapy and work on your self-worth. But no, these folks treat the Internet like a therapy couch: they post superficial hype hoping for instant validation.
When I shine the spotlight on my own projects—whether my personal hobby-stuff or the mission-critical work I do day-to-day—nobody really asks questions. They just see that it works, and on we go. If I wanted compliments for every little network configuration or authentication-service integration, I’m sure I’d get non-stop praise—but that feels hollow. I’d be trading genuine achievement for hollow applause.
The HAM Radio Club’s Reactive Appreciation
Whenever I step in to handle any task for the HAM radio club—whether it’s prepping equipment for a big contest, fine-tuning our logging software, or rolling out essential service updates—the work remains completely invisible… until something breaks. Then I get the chorus of complaints:
“The log froze again—what happened?”
But when a contest weekend sails by without a hitch, I might hear from one or two members:
“Great job keeping everything running!”
And that’s it. All the late-night test runs, dry-run scripts, and silent rollouts? They vanish into the woodwork. This one-to-ten feedback ratio—loud gripes versus the occasional “nice work”—perfectly illustrates how we reward drama over diligence.
Why Social Media Sidelines the Unseen Work
Social platforms are engineered to drive engagement — and nothing drives clicks like drama, novelty, or outright controversy. The steady, behind-the-scenes toil that actually keeps an organization (or the Internet itself) running is simply too “boring” to gain traction. Here’s why:
- Algorithms favor spikes over steady hums.
A heated rant or a flashy tutorial sparks comments and shares within minutes. In contrast, a detailed post about automating backups or optimizing sync intervals might sit unread for days. Algorithms interpret that silence as “uninteresting” content and bury it further. - Attention is the new currency.
Every like or comment signals value to both the creator and the platform. If no one visibly reacts to your maintenance logs or your meticulous test reports, the platform concludes they’re worthless—even if they’re mission-critical. - Brevity beats depth.
Quick memes, short videos, and punchy one-liners dominate feeds. Explaining how you configured LDAP mounts or debugged a race condition takes time—and people have learned they’d rather scroll on. - The hype cycle drowns out substance.
When everyone’s chasing the next buzzword (“Edge AI,” “Decentralized IoT,” etc.), genuine engineering feats get lost in the noise. True progress rarely fits into a fifteen-second clip or an attention-grabbing headline.
As a result, the very work that ensures reliability, security, and scale gets undervalued—both by the crowd and by the platforms themselves. And that not only demotivates the people doing the hard work; it also puts the resilience of our networks and communities at risk.