What's that? Clicks are currency? But surely currency is currency?
Well, yes dearest nerdlets, currency is currency. But clicks have become currency too. Every click is a bargaining point when it comes to haggling with advertisers and sponsors.
And when you're clicking poor journalism that supports bigotry, or worse, clicking on the links provided by the bigots and Nazis themselves, the click counter doesn't see your outrage.
All the stats show is traffic. And traffic means pairs of eyes on the page. That's what the advertisers are after. Advertisers don't care what you thought of the article - they just want you to see their ad.
And isn't it telling, my dearest nerdlets, that marginalised groups have to fight harder for YouTube views and website clicks than others (white cishet able-bodied (and often men, let's face it,)) do?
Look, I know that isn't the only thing at play here - a lot of things depend on content, presentation, etc.
But if you're telling me that the most popular BookTubers largely focussing on books written by white, cishet, able-bodied people is a coincidence, then I'm sorry, but that's just not true.
And things which are popular to begin with continue to receive more clicks and views.
Reviews for diverse books tend to be done by smaller BookTubers and get lower numbers of views, whereas the big BookTubers get thousands of views for the review of a popular, hyped, and non-diverse book. Strange that.
Clicks and views can also give so much inspiration and fortitude to smaller bloggers and YouTubers - they are a sign that someone is listening.
And if reviews of diverse books do well, if diverse books and authors and creators do well, then the big businesses - the publishing houses, the film studios, the marketing people, will realise that there's a market for different views of the world, and will come on board.
So, here's what I want you to do (pretty please!)
If you either -
a) click on 3 links to blogposts by diverse bloggers, or reviews of/posts about diverse books, or
b) watch three YouTube videos by or about diverse creators or their work
- then you will have helped make the world a better place - right here, right now.
Resist the urge to click on that Nazi-glorifying news story, or that rant against diversity by a white supremacist, and do this instead.
Come on my nerdlets, we can do this!
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