Prioritize Self-Interest Before Altruism

xiaoqing included in category Thinking

2024-11-18 2024-11-18 352 words 2 minutes

This article explores the balance between 'self-interest' and 'altruism' in content creation. The author argues that outstanding content often stems from personal interest and benefit, as only when it serves oneself can sustained effort be maintained. When the content holds genuine value, it naturally benefits others, creating a win-win situation. Whether it's creating videos or writing blogs, starting from self-interest and identifying intersections with altruism is the key strategy for long-term persistence and success.

Contents

Recently, I joined a feedback and communication group specifically created for Bilibili (B站) content creators. In this group, Bilibili’s operation team shared many practical and insightful tutorials. The quality of these tutorials is indeed excellent, with well-summarized content. However, the advice they provide to creators is mostly from an operational perspective, focusing on the characteristics of “good videos,” which leans towards an altruistic viewpoint.

In contrast, the book It’s No Accident: Harnessing the Head Effect of Knowledge Planets (published by Knowledge Planet) reveals that most top content creators often start from a self-serving perspective when creating WeChat official account content. They share their knowledge and insights, thereby attracting followers.

From the perspective of a creator, producing a video should first be something I’m willing to do, enjoy doing, and that benefits me personally. If the video can also help others in the process, then it’s likely to be a good one. Initially, it’s simply about sharing what I know and have learned. When the content has value, it naturally attracts more viewers, forming a positive cycle and eventually leading to becoming a successful creator.

This concept isn’t limited to video creation. When I write blogs and share what I’ve learned, I’m essentially practicing the Feynman learning method. The biggest beneficiary is myself: on one hand, it deepens my understanding of the knowledge, and on the other, it promotes me as an individual. For readers, they gain knowledge and inspiration from my articles, creating a win-win outcome.

The ability to persist in doing something long-term ultimately depends on whether it benefits oneself. For example, I can consistently write articles because it satisfies my desire to express and share, while also fulfilling my need to feel seen. Starting from self-interest and finding the intersection with altruism is the strategy I plan to adopt for finding my direction moving forward. After all, if one does things purely for altruism, it’s extremely difficult to sustain over time.

This article itself is a “self-serving” sharing: I’m expressing my thoughts and reflections. At the same time, I hope it can also be “altruistic,” inspiring those who read it.