How many hours a day do you spend online? How much time do you spend on Youtube, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and all the other media apps? If I had to guess I'd say a lot of hours. You can find anything and everything online. The internet through its various shapes, has become a medium through which the everyday user can find whatever he/she wants. On the other side of that spectrum are small to large businesses, and individuals, who put their work out there, completely free of charge, and make money off of their content. During this quarantine period the whole world has seen a change in the way of doing things. Business meetings, work tasks, even shopping for groceries, everything has moved online. It’s just easier that way. We have been shown the light. While you always had the option of doing it online, you didn’t always resort to it because your instincts told you that physically being there was probably best. But coronavirus put that theory to the test.
So you're using the Internet at least a third of your day. You're living in a world that is increasingly becoming an online world. I'm assuming you have some sort of hobby or thing you enjoy doing that you could easily showcase and grow. So the question becomes why aren't you online already? I don't mean online liking Kylie Jenner posts, I mean actually ONLINE. If you haven’t already jumped on the Internet bandwagon, here are 6 reasons why you need to be online TODAY.
1-It's Free
It cost nothing to be online.
Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Pinterest and many more are all free to sign up for. Even making your own website is totally free. Having the capabilities to market and potentially reach a million users for FREE sounds like a Don Draper wet dream. Learn to approach these social media platforms as a business rather than as a leisure item. The words “free membership“ should actually mean “no startup costs“. Whether your into art, making videos, or blogs, you can put it out there, tap into a vast audience, and do it all for free.
2-Traditional Way of Doing Business is Dead
In business you always want to be ahead of the curve. But if you aren't, it isn’t wrong to settle for being a follower. You probably didn't see the Internet wave coming; frankly it's been here for years. But don't sulk as if you've missed out, instead hop on the bandwagon, because the traditional way of doing business is dead. For example, 10 years ago the process for opening up a sneaker store went something like this you: you would've had to look around for the right store on the right street; pay an exuberant amount of money on marketing and rent that would've probably plunged your store into debt and had you playing catch up for the rest of your business life.  Gone are the days where high-streets and shopping malls dictate the terms. Today business owners make their own rules and they do so from the comfort of their living room working from behind their Mac book.
3- Everyone is Interested in Something
Video gaming videos are one of the most viewed content on YouTube. The very thing you were told your whole life to do less of, makes more money today than most businesses make. Who would have thought that the market for these videos would be so goddamn huge? The online world is endless that there is always at least SOMEONE interested in SOMETHING, just in case you were having doubts about your content. Whether you're writing about the different types of trees that exist, a fashion blogger, a graphic illustrator, or you're making contemporary design works and posting them on Instagram, it doesn't matter because everyone is interested in something. The first step is getting over the self-doubt roadblock and the rest is easy. Find your niche or put yourself out there and let your niche to find you. Once you do that, the rest becomes easy.
4- Monetize Your Hobby
Can we go back to talking about those teenagers making serious bank for playing video games? If I know that was even possible you know much time I would've spent finishing GTA missions instead of learning fucking Pythagoras. The reality is there is so much money to make online you wouldn't even know where to start. Seriously, just Google the different ways you can make money online. You can sell your own product or sell someone else's. You can make money through Google's sponsored ads or just website traffic in general. Whatever it is you decide to do doesn't matter. What matters is that you start to monetize your hobby. Put yourself out there, and get GOOD at what you're doing; that eventually you open up a bunch of doors for yourself. Allow your portfolio along with your network to grow. People will begin to reach out whether it’s to show appreciation for your work, or express interest on collaborating.
5- It’s Good To Be creative
Most corporate jobs don't require you to be creative. They require you to perform the same task everyday, no questions asked. Not much creativity to that. Yet creativity is a human need, or emotion, no different than happiness and hunger. We have this idea that creativity is a birthright, you either have it or you don’t. That’s not true. Everybody CAN be creative and therefore create. Creativity is just intelligence having fun. The difference is creative people actively create similarly to how an athlete actively works on their body. If you dedicate some time and focus with a professional and disciplined effort to creativity, and if you do it on a regular basis, then ideas will come to you.
6- You're Already Doing It!
You're already online! We've already established that at the beginning. But instead of making use of your time, your wasting it, salivating over all those goddamn Kylie Jenner posts. Seriously though you're online anyway so you might as well try and make the most out of it. Imagine going to work everyday but not getting paid. You'd be a fucking idiot. This is something you can do in your free time; so it doesn't require you to quit your day job. Start to integrate a professional aspect into your leisure time by making the time you spend online a time to create. If you do so then good things will happen.
Start Today
I'm sure you can think of other reasons to be online. Just as I'm sure that you can come up with a bunch of excuses why it's a waste of time. Putting yourself out there isn't for everybody. It definitely requires you to venture out of your comfort zone, which is where creativity goes to die. The way you should look at this is the world is INCREASINGLY shifting towards an online world. And that's shift is happening faster than ever. In a generation from now there isn't going to be a human on this planet who's going to remember what a non-internet world is. That's a scary thought once it settles in. You don't want to be left behind while everyone else is moving forward. What is an hour spent everyday working on a personal project or hobby that could have huge upside? Go for it. Like right now. Get the fuck up. Get your Mac Book. Get to work. Don't worry about what people would think and don't be intimidated if your work isn't your best. If you build it, they will come. So start building today.
