What A Writing Connection With Medium Celebrity Does Not Look Like
And What Genuine Connections Do Look Like
I was so excited when I thought the famous online writer Sean Kernan invited me to join an established Medium writers’ community. But after a second invite response, I knew things weren’t what they seemed. Both times, these were certainly spam links. Notice the incorrect spellings. Zoom in to the minimal followers. Set music to the all-too-good-to-be-true language of the responses themselves.
Sadly, this is all too common on Medium(as is the case for other platforms). As this article explains, spamming has seen an uptick as writers want to try and harness a following in a shortcutting and cheating kind of way.
The real Sean Kernan has 91,000 followers and regularly composes amazing pieces. Ironically, the one I responded to told of his first time in jail after getting busted for a fake ID. Kernan also has an epic following on Quora and Substack, among other platforms.
Sean Kernan is one of those amazing people who has found this level of global online media celebrity fame. While many have found stardom through some type of rapper speed diatribe on TikTok or through those steamy Instagram poses, Sean has captured the attention of millions with his carefully crafted stories and articles. I discovered Kernan back a few years ago on Quora. From what I remember, this is when he was an online writing hobbyist devoted to drafting Quora masterpieces in his leisure time. While many others and I may have gathered a few thousand followers and found some writings ranking to a million or so views, he had managed to gather that global audience of millions who enjoyed each draft.
The amazing thing is that I have had the personal honor of interacting many times with the real Sean Kernan on Quora, Medium, and also Instagram. In those earlier days of my Quora writing, he challenged me by sending me answer requests. You know, Quora had that little Partner Program where they paid top writers to ask alluring questions and increase traffic. Here was one of my favorite personal answers offered as a response to Kernan’s question and request.
Over a few years now I have seen many of my Quora answers reach up to millions of views.
While this is a humbling milestone in itself, it is hardly a fraction of Kernan’s views and follows.
My interaction with Kernan (among numerous other writers) has motivated me to grow on these writing platforms. Reading his amazing writing and accepting just a few of his challenges has helped me to expand my horizons and find new levels of success. One of the key insights Kernan helps illuminate well is the value of originality and authenticity. Today’s online and social media superspheres allow more than enough room for each of us to be ourselves. Following your passion, interest, and bliss can take you down your own path. And what amazing seeds for personal growth and enrichment of others can be found!
Is it not amazing that as technology has developed, the world has continued to evolve in such human-centered ways? Thirty years ago, they envisioned a future of flying cars and an automated fast-food center around every corner. Yet were there ever musings about media platforms with enough user-generated videos, pictures, memes, and insights produced daily to stretch to the moon and back many times over? Ironically, in these spaces where it is all too easy to throw out spam, two of the most desirable components for success include authenticity and genuine human connections.
With Kernan and millions of others, you don’t have to spew out misleading spam ads to get ahead. All you have to do is show up, take an interest in another person’s work, and offer a part of yourself into the equation. It does take a lot of hard work, dedication, and persistence. But then again so does anything worthwhile.
