Dr. John A. King argues that creators on Substack and social media fake authenticity to game algorithms and chase engagement instead of connecting genuinely. Real connection requires readers to actively seek out writers they value, not rely on platform recommendations.
Authenticity is very tangible. Have you ever scrolled through Substack or social media and hit a post and thought, man, what the hell? They're just writing because they want to write. They're not writing because they want to write. They're writing because they're wanting to engage me in their algorithm or they're wanting to boost their popularity. They're not connecting with me on a soul and emotional level. That's very transparent. I can't do that. You can't put in, dear Substack, please show me new authors and somehow think that an author's gonna read them, think you sincerely want to connect with them. If you really wanted to connect with them, you would take the time to find them, read them, and engage with them. So I want to encourage you when
