Creativity In The Age of Internet Amnesia

Everything is Permanent, No One Remembers

A Colombian at Columbia. That was the name of the first short documentary I ever made. It was about a Colombian woman pursuing her MBA at Columbia University. 

Was there a good story there?

No.

Was it shot well?

No?

Did people watch it?

Not really.

But this was the most important documentary I ever made for the sole fact that I published it on the internet. 

For people who publish their work on the internet, whether it’s films, articles, music, art, or anything else, it can feel like everything you publish is set in stone. Everything you've ever posted is just one google search away!

The internet never forgets!

It's true. 

But what’s also true is that the people on the internet do. And they forget fast.

Internet Amnesia

Internet Amensia is the phenomena that the internet almost always immediately forgets, even while everything is permanent.

Embracing this fact is key to becoming an online creator.

Several years ago, my friends and I decided we wanted to become a filmmakers. The problem was we’d never made a film before. 

I was 27 years old, and my other friends were all rapidly advancing in their careers - getting promoted, speaking at conferences, and becoming eminent in their domains. They were on the path. 

I, on the other hand, was in debt and wanted to be a filmmaker even though I couldn’t afford any film gear besides the camera on my iPhone. But if you want something bad enough, you can’t make excuses, right?  I had to start making films, so I made a commitment to publish one video every single week for an indefinite period of time. 

My wannabee filmmaker friends and I took an iPhone filmed A Colombian in Columbia, edited it, and got ready to hit publish, but as I thought about hitting publish, I froze. 

What would people think? Would they laugh at me? Would they think I’m dumb? Would they stop being friends with me for fear of embarrassment?

“Did Alex really just post that online? Does he have any self-respect? He sucks at this!”

“Today, I’m the worst I’ll ever be.”

Posting your work on the internet is scary. Good creative work is personal, and critiques feel like personal attacks. If people don’t like your work, then they mus tnot like you either! 

At the same time, I had confidence in myself. If I really committed to this, I would get better. I had to. 

The thought crossed my mind, “Today, I’m the worst I’ll ever be. And a year from now, if I stick with this, no one will remember the videos I’m putting out now.”

A blessing and a curse of the internet is people only remember you by your most recent work. Internet Amnesia.

Two years after posting that first video, I had built up an audience of nearly 250,000 followers and a reputation as one of the top NYC documentarians on social media. 

If you’re looking to become a creator online. Do not worry about what your work looks like now. There’s always a gap between where you are and where you want to be. The only thing you need to worry about is committing to getting the work done, consistently, over the long term. Do that, and the gap will close faster than you think. 

And soon enough, people will know you for how great your work is, and if they ever do look back on your old work they’ll only marvel at how far you’ve come.