there's a good post about spaces on the internet and feeling less like you're talking ot people and more like everyone is trying to be a brand
part of that's because everyone's a brand now.
two decades ago, before everything started to settle and congeal in the worst ways, this kind of gathering didn't really exist, or at least, it wasn't nearly as pronounced. you had social spaces, chat rooms, forums, whatever, and they were largely based around a thing or a topic. rom hacking. plants. video games. whatever.
if you wanted to be part of something, you could just go there, participate. you were one of many in a crowd. people were, for some definition, together.
when the social network shit started to take off, that shifted. you weren't following a topic or being part of a community. you were following individual people, individual "brands".
from the perspective of an outsider, consider.
in an old group, you could walk in as a brand new newbie and still have nearly as much "reach" as anyone. people might not listen to you, sure, but you were basically on the same level as everyone else.
imagine trying to do that now. if you don't have a following, you are literally invisible, unless someone higher graces you with the gift of a share.
"you are the product" isn't just a term for "they're selling your data", it's literal. everyone is a litle brand box now, because that's just what we designed our social spaces to be like.