1/11 In the wake of the election, let’s talk about what it really means to be a progressive content creator in this landscape. The Democrats might have lost this election, but the right-wing media and content industries sure as hell won it. Here’s the reality: while Joe Rogan et al keep thriving, being a progressive creator is a shit cocktail of financial starvation, algorithmic sabotage, and the constant threat of being canceled for the most microscopic transgressions. 🧵

I write about tech + humans + philosophy. Farcaster OG. FID 3305 founder of /theindex 

https://linktr.ee/joanwestenberg

2/11 Financial Struggles: Despite having over 100k followers, my monthly earnings barely cover a half decent meal. But right-wing creators enjoy vast funding networks from wealthy donors, think tanks, and corporate backers. Wealthy progressives don’t spend their money on grassroots influencers - they’d rather pay $50k for a selfie with a celebrity than fund independent media. So they show up to gala dinners with Bruce Springsteen while indie writers on the left make Pennies.

3/11 Sorry, but Cancel Culture is actually a real thing. It just doesn’t impact the conservatives who whine about it. It’s literally just progressives cancelling progressives. Lindsay Ellis compared two movies and got canceled so hard she basically had to delete herself from the internet. Progressive creators are walking a tightrope, while the other side has a bouncy castle labeled “No Consequences.”

5/11 Mental Health Strain: You’re online 24/7, desperately churning out content for a whopping $20 a week and a handful of retweets, all while knowing one wrong word could end it all. It’s like walking a tightrope over a pit of unpaid bills and angry comments. Burnout? Burnout’s not a “risk”—it’s basically your full-time coworker. And every day, you’re forced to smile through the exhaustion because if you stop posting, you might as well disappear.

6/11 Community Fragmentation: On paper, progressives celebrate “diversity of thought.” In practice? It’s 72 hours of Twitter warfare if someone breathes slightly off-script. The conservative side? They’ll rally behind a ham sandwich if it says the right buzzwords. Over here, it’s like herding cats who all have separate manifestos.

7/11 Platform Censorship: When it comes to some of us, the “ban” button seems to have an itchy trigger finger. One “controversial” post, and suddenly you’re ghosted, shadowbanned, or sent to algorithm jail by the mods. Meanwhile, blatant misinformation is apparently just fine. Funny how the rules bend like rubber when it’s certain folks spreading the nonsense. If you’re pushing progressive ideas, though, don’t blink—or you might find yourself vanished into the digital void.

8/11 Lack of Institutional Support: This goes back to number 2. Right-wing creators have think tanks, media empires, billion-dollar donor networks—the whole machine behind them. Us? We’ve got a PayPal link, a handful of Patreon subs, and sheer force of will. It’s like trying to go up against a tank with a spork. Competing with corporate-backed media giants while crowdfunding enough for rent (or maybe just coffee) isn’t “challenging”—it’s a masochistic exercise in futility.

9/11 Audience Expectations: Progressive audiences have standards. Which is great… until it isn’t. One slip-up, and suddenly it’s time for a public tribunal. “Hold your faves accountable” quickly turns into “Watch your faves get buried under 400 subtweets and a 10-part callout thread.” Meanwhile, other creators can apparently film themselves setting fire to the dictionary and walk away unscathed.

10/11 Fighting Misinformation: Progressive creators are expected to fact-check every comma, triple-source every stat, and then pray it’s bulletproof. Meanwhile, certain media giants are serving up an “alternative facts” buffet with zero consequences. We’re out here playing chess, sweating over every move, while they’re scribbling their own rules in crayon and calling it journalism.

11/11 TL;DR: If we want progressive creators to actually compete, we need billionaire-funded megaphones, media networks, think tanks—the whole infrastructure. And we need actual support from audiences. Right now, we’re up against corporate giants with a crowdfunded microphone and some hope. So if you’ve got the means, support independent creators, share their work, and mayblet’s start building that progressive media machine. Because shouting into the void only goes so far.

More here:

Why are progressive creators barely scraping by while right-wing media has the cash to dominate? The answer: algorithms, billionaire backers, and a system that’s anything but fair. Here’s why it’s time for real support.

More here:

Why are progressive creators barely scraping by while right-wing media has the cash to dominate? The answer: algorithms, billionaire backers, and a system that’s anything but fair. Here’s why it’s time for real support.

https://www.joanwestenberg.com/being-a-progressive-creator-sucks/

4/11 Algorithmic Fuckery: Social media platforms don’t care about thoughtful discussions—they want rage-clicks, catfights, and viral drama. If you’re out here trying to talk about actual issues, good luck getting seen. You either start a feud with a stranger or get buried by the algorithm, which… basically leads to the same outcome. The algorithm doesn’t reward nuance; it’s here to crown the loudest clown in the circus. And that doesn't gel with any progressive values.