From 2016-2023 I consumed a ton of hobby content. Or maybe, in reality, I was letting the flood of hobby content consume me. I subscribed to probably dozens of podcasts and YouTube shows covering all kinds of topics. I don’t know the exact count, but they had focuses on modern, vintage, breaking news, rumors and speculation, collecting, flipping, investing, and each and every sport.
The relative ease of starting a show led to a wave of hobby information being made available to the masses. If you wanted to learn about a segment of collecting, there is content out there for you. I learned a ton. We are blessed with exposure to some great hobby minds that just wasn’t possible in decades past.
On the flip side, that relative ease of creation also means there are a ton of uneducated idiots with a camera and microphone spouting nonsense.
From terrible hobby financial advice, just plain wrong information, to people who feel a need to be the first to spout an opinion about “breaking hobby news” regardless of whether or not their opinion is informed, a ton of hobby content is just plain worthless trash.
Over the last year or so, the trash really started to get on my nerves. I found myself getting frustrated as I listened to uneducated creators spout nonsense. I got disgusted by hosts justifying shady behavior by online platforms. It ticked me off to hear dealers and breakers pumping the latest wax and prospects to take advantage of newer members of the hobby.
What started out as a blessing for me had turned into a curse.
Fortunately, it was a curse that I had full control of.
Nobody was forcing me to consume this stuff. And so, little by little, week by week I did it. I started clicking the unsubscribe button. I started muting or unfollowing accounts on Twitter or Instagram. I had no more patience for it and I began curating my content feed.
I’m down to about 10 -12 hobby content creators that I subscribe to. It’s probably down to about a third of where I was at the peak. I still have a ways to go on my social feeds, but I’m in the process of cleaning them up as well.
Removing the things that were causing my frustration has started to make hobby content more enjoyable again.
You might be asking, “So Mike, what took so long for you to start changing what you’re consuming?”
Well, I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately and this is what I’ve come up with so far.
I’ve been creating hobby content in written, audio, and video form since 2017. My primary goal my for content is to be informational and helpful to fellow collectors, but I realized there was a part of me that felt an obligation to try and know everything that was going on in the hobby and to also “correct” all the misinformation that was out there.
I felt like for that to happen, I needed to listen to and watch as much as I could. Even if I didn’t like it, I had to learn about it. Even if it ticked me off, I had to watch.
Then I realized a couple things.
That wasn’t possible. There was no way I could consume everything and research in enough detail to be informed about everything going on in the hobby. I couldn’t put that pressure on myself.
Even if I could, nobody was asking for it. In the grand scheme of things, nobody really cares what Mike Sommer has to say. I’m not going to influence the overall direction of the hobby.
So I stopped trying.
I’m not going to create content on things I don’t care about. If I don’t feel like can add value, I’m just going to keep my mouth shut.
I’m getting to the point where I’ve already created content about many of the core collecting/hobby topics where I am knowledgeable and passionate.
I don’t know how much more I have to say.
And so, I’m refining the hobby content I consume to focus on the parts of the hobby that I truly enjoy. Hobby history, unique and under appreciated products, and stories about everyday collectors are what brings me joy.
When this whole curating process is done (but will it ever really be done?), I’ll both create and consume less hobby content. But ultimately what I create and consume will only be on topics I love.
I’ll never be the boss of the hobby. I can’t control the direction we’re headed.
But I can control MY collection and what I create and consume.
And I tell you what, clicking that unsubscribe button…… feels……. so…….. good.
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