The risks and rewards of going viral

At a recent Costco shopping run, I passed by one of those sample tables. The attendant had a large pack of Kirkland Select toilet paper. He asked me if I wanted a sample. I figured he’d give me a small packet of a few sheets, perhaps enough to blow my nose. I said, “Sure.” He gave me a whole roll. A whole roll. Remember what store shelves used to look like four years ago during the pandemic? If stores had any toilet paper at all, they were rationed at two packs per customer. And you had to get there early before they ran out. So, I posted the following on Threads:

Four years ago, you couldn’t find toilet paper on store shelves. Today, our local Costco is giving away whole rolls as free samples. Just another sign things have gotten better!

My threads normally get a few dozen views and maybe a couple of likes. Here are my stats at the time I started this post.

I would consider this “viral.” I’m sure to an influencer with millions of followers, this would be incredibly disappointing. But it’s the comment section that offers the most important lesson.

Once your content goes outside of your comfortable circle of followers, you get all sorts of…