I was learning, growing, and publishing on the internet. Anytime I would write something online, I would receive immediate feedback—in the form of words (“I totally agree! Amazing perspective,” or, “You’re an idiot. Go die in a fire,”) and in the form of data (Views, Likes, Shares, Upvotes, Comments, etc.). Without even realizing it, I would then take that data and use it to inform my next piece of writing. I would double-down on topics that attracted more viewership. I would retell stories that had prompted people to Comment. I would adjust my headlines and the format of my articles based on
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