The lottery is a cruel mistress – she lures you in with the prospect of billions but beats you over the head with her apathetic maths.
And I think there is a similarity in the creativity on the internet. Some people are playing it like the lottery.
They’ve seen the billions of views a viral hit has gained and they say ‘Right, that’s what we’re doing!’. Then it dawns on them just how hard it is to make something go ‘viral’.
Alternatively you can treat the internet like a savings account.
With regular deposits and some interest your fortune builds.
Day by day.
Drip by drip.
Non viral video by non viral video.
Building an internet following requires patience and trust in the process. But the odds of you reaching 1,000 true fans (Kevin Kelly’s estimate on the minimum required to earn a living) is better than winning the lottery.
Thomas Duggan 