#7 - The 1% Rule
On why you should create content and the role of laugh tracks
Hello People!
Welcome to my newsletter, where I share my musings about life and interesting concepts and ideas.
I must confess, fetching content for this newsletter ended up taking more of my time than anything else I did this week.
As mentioned last week, I’d planned to cap the amount of time I’d spend writing this newsletter.
However, I certainly didn’t account for the time it would take me to source content.
And, as it so happened, finding content took wayyy more time than writing about it.
Going forward, I really hope to establish a system that makes sourcing content faster and more seamless.
On that note, if you happen to have any interesting content (articles, ideas, concepts, etc.) that I could cover in this newsletter, please do hit me up!
I’ll be glad to receive content suggestions from you.
And, now, let’s move on to what we’ve got this week!
Cool Stuff I Learned
1% Rule
According to this, 90% of the people consume, 9% contribute, and only 1% create content on the internet.
And, it holds across platforms such as Twitter, Wikipedia and Reddit, among others.
Now, how might this be relevant to you?
Well, because, as this rule shows, most people just don’t create content.
And, while there’s nothing wrong with just consuming content, the cost of doing so is that you miss out on the upsides of content creation.
Some of which include:
Finding your Community
- By sharing your experiences, learnings and interests, you are likely to attract and connect with like-minded people.
Learning from Others
- As people with mutual interests or common experiences engage with your content, they might share tips, insights, resources that are of help to you.
Proof-of-work
- We are moving towards an era where proof-of-work holds more value than credentials such as university degrees.
- As such, creating content will become all the more valuable as it serves as proof of your capabilities and skillsets.
- People—be it a potential employer or a business partner—are likely to learn more about your capabilities through your creations than your resume.
Attracting Opportunities
- By having more people see your work, you’re likely to attract more opportunities.
Pushing Yourself out of Your Comfort Zone
- I haven’t been active on social media for years now.
- As a result, I wasn’t really used to sharing anything publicly.
- This point really resonated with me because when I started this newsletter, sharing my writing made me feel uneasy and took time getting used to.
Greater Accountability
- Sharing your goals makes you more likely to stick to them as you have more people holding you accountable.
I hope that by now, we’ve established that there are many benefits to creating content.
Now, some of you might argue that you don’t have anything to talk about.
To which I’d say that you needn’t be an expert on a topic to speak about it.
You could talk about what you learnt at your job; an interesting book/podcast/article you came across; a new skill you’re picking up; your opinions on current events; your interests and hobbies, among other things.
Plus, what’s the worst-case scenario?
That your content receives poor reception?
I’d argue that that, in itself, is a victory, too, since the mere act of creating something from scratch and sharing it publicly will have required you to overcome many obstacles in the first place.
Bonus Content—Cool Trivia
The Role of Laugh Tracks
Few things divide opinions the way laugh tracks (artificial laughter soundtracks inserted in comedy tv shows such as Friends) do—some just can't stand them while others are fairly indifferent.
While I have never really felt bothered by them, this week I learnt what purpose they serve.
A key point about laughter is that we laugh more frequently in social settings than alone—as much as 30 times more!
So, adding laugh tracks to tv shows tricks our minds into believing that we’re in a social setting. And this makes us more likely to laugh!
On that note, I’ll wrap up for today.
Hit that ❤️ if you liked today’s issue.
Have thoughts on today’s content? Write to me at nagpal.ojasvin@gmail.com.
Until next time! ✌️
Ojas
Laugh Tracks also allow the actors to maintain their character, in a show like FRIENDS where a funny/sarcastic comment is generally followed by a pause for reaction.