"Scratch and 'Begging Culture'" alt title: "Scratch and Forgetting Creators are Human" [ Opening Notes ] I'd like to start this off by saying to keep in mind that this is not an issue exclusive to scratch, these things can take place pretty much anywhere, especially if someone has a larger platform. Additionally, I don't really have any personal experience with this, being someone with a smaller following/fanbase. However, I believe that based on a lot of the things that I've seen take place, I have some form of a right to speak on it. If anyone has any experiences with things like this, I'd love to hear about them and possibly add them into my statement here to increase accuracy. All experiences commented, or that I have come across, will remain anonymous unless it is requested otherwise. [ Introduction ] Have you ever come across the profile of a more "popular" user and found that most of their comments (on every project, their profile, etc) are usually pertaining to things such as requesting a new chapter for a comic, or just a new project in general? Almost never are there genuine compliments or constructive thoughts, which is pretty much, what I find, the comment section is for. It seems as if users on these profiles have completely forgotten that the person behind the art and other works isn't a robot that can have everything completely planned and scheduled without ever burning out or having an emergency prevent them from finishing something. The following paragraphs will consist of me attempting to break down the pattern of these comments, and pretty much just yapping about why I think this whole "begging culture" sucks. [ Comic Creators ] Ohhhh boy where to start with this one. Though I'm a comic creator myself, Falling Moon isn't very well known, so I don't personally struggle with the sort of harassment more popular users seem to get. I find that the "begging culture" is most common on the profiles of comic creators. People expect posting schedules to be completely unflawed, and for chapters to be extremely close together. The majority of the comments on the creators profiles and projects consist of things such as asking when the new chapter will be, guilting the creator for taking too long, and generally just begging for new content. I rarely see people simply complimenting work or writing without having some sort of condition or begging. Imagine you have a comic which you consider to just be a side/passion project. You post a piece that you are extremely proud of, that took you ages to make. You expect people to be there to enjoy the work, but the only things in the comments are things pertaining to the comic. The work that you put into the piece is completely unacknowledged, and the comic is the main focus, despite not even being related to the project. Imagine what something like that would do to your motivation or self worth. It might make you feel as if the comic is the only successful thing you can create, or that the comic is the only worth you have to your audience. I think that the whole "begging culture" is a large factor in the burnout of many creators. The begging does the opposite of what its meant to do, instead of encouraging new chapters or work, it simply makes the creator feel pressured and makes the piece a chore. [ Discontinuation/Leaving ] So this one is basically just the death sentence it seems like. I think that my most current example of this is a creator who quietly and peacefully left the platform. There seemed to be no ill thoughts or intent to anyone, it just seemed that they were burnt out and wanted to move to a new point in their journey. Rather than their comments saying things such as "We'll miss you" or wishing them well for the future, it seemed that nobody could simply accept that they were done on the platform. There really wasn't a single comment in sight that wasn't something along the lines of "Please come back" , "Will your comic continue" , "Please continue your comic" , etc. Though I'm sure this wasn't the intent, some of them almost came off as aggressive. When a creator decides to end their journey on a platform, the first thing people should do is help them through this difficult decision with encouragement and kind words. These people, however, continue to simply take and take and take. As for when people continue a comic or series, it seems things are even worse. People, again, can't seem to accept the decision. A creator will state that they are done creating something, and clearly lay out that it will not be returning. Despite this, people continue to beg and guilt the creator. The comments of new projects still seemed to be plagued with this begging for new content or continuation. Again, making the creator feel as if their only worth is this one piece of media that they don't really even feel any connection to anymore. [ Invite Issues ] I feel like the main thing I've been discussing here is struggles of comic/series [+]
[+] creators, but there are also several struggles for those who haven't even touched that type of media or piece. I find that these issues mostly boil down to the category of invites, or more specifically, requests. Many people expect creators to do absolutely anything for their fans, often including art requests, trades, and maps.The creator, of course, might join some of these things, but them joining just one makes these people think that they automatically want to join or do absolutely everything. Obviously, a creator can't just join everything and do every trade, because that's way too much for one person, but it seems that some of these people really just don't take that into consideration. If the creator politely says that they don't have time at the moment, or aren't interested, the commenter often tends to not really accept this. They'll continue to beg or guilt the creator, making it seem that the creator is the problem simply for declining them. [ Scratch Userbase ] While we must keep in mind that many of the people making these comments or participating in the "begging culture" are likely young children, we must also keep in mind that some (if not many of these creators) are children or minors. Having this kind of stress at any age is unhealthy, but it is especially such at such a young age. Imagine having to deal with school on top of keeping up with all of these demands. Children aren't as emotionally balanced as adults, since their brains are still developing. (The average brain doesn't finish developing until a person's mid-twenties!!) This makes them even more vulnerable to mental struggles because of the pressure of the role they are forced into. [ Not Everyone is Bad ] To acknowledge the bad side of the fanbases of bigger creators, we must also acknowledge those who keep a positive and healthy atmosphere. There are many people who encourage creators to take healthy breaks and work on what they would like. These people should be the example of behavior in the presence of larger creators like this. They don't push the creator to be friends with them, do things for them, or continuously pump out new content. They respect them as people, and understand that they will do things when they're ready. If you're this type of person, you are doing great. [ Conclusion ] I hope that through my writing here you may have found a new perspective on the deeper side of the "begging culture", or someone who accompanies you in your thoughts on it. I also hope that this project might bring the issue more to light for people who don't exactly realize what they're doing when they beg creators for content and such. [ Closing Notes ] I haven't proofread this because I took like an hour writing it and my motivation is gone so forgive any typos or disorganization I know it probably sounds like I'm just rambling but this really is an issue that I feel like never has enough light shined on it As stated earlier, feel free to share your own experiences, as the project is open to updates. [ Credits ] writing and thumbnail - @Sapphire_Lights research - recorded throughout several comment sections and experiences of myself and others on scratch.
