Something strange happened to normal people.
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Everyone's playing a WWE character now.
Go ahead and turn on your TV or open social media, and you'll see the same thing everywhere. People cranking their personalities up to eleven, turning themselves into caricatures because that's what gets attention nowadays.
The loudest voice wins, the most outrageous take goes viral, and the biggest personality gets the client.
We've entered the era of professional wrestling personas.
Trump has turned politics into a performance. Pat McAfee transformed sports commentary into a screaming production. Gordon Ramsey has to smash someone’s head in between two pieces of bread to give “feedback.” This isn't an indictment of these specific people. Just an observation about the direction of modern media.
But it's not just media personalities.
Tech CEOs take shots online that would have derailed them just 15 years ago. Social media influencers create controversy for the sake of engagement. Your coworker posts inflammatory hot takes because that's what the algorithm rewards.
Even teachers have created TikTok personalities. Doctors become Instagram characters. Accountants develop LinkedIn personas that would make their actual clients run out of the office.
Everyone's so busy performing that nobody's actually being.
But I’ve also noticed something that makes me feel better. While everyone else is shouting, the most interesting people seem to be getting quieter. More nuanced.
They're building businesses without a ton of fanfare. Or they are actively pulling back from their loudest channels. They’re writing thoughtful pieces that take time to read, having real conversations instead of public debates, and doing work that matters (without needing to announce it every five minutes).
A friend of mine sold his company for eight figures last year. You've never heard of him. He doesn't have an X account, is rarely on podcasts, and doesn’t share any viral LinkedIn posts about his big exit.
He just built something valuable and found the right buyer.
Another friend of mine writes a newsletter to 10,000 paying subscribers. She doesn't do speaking gigs or YouTube videos. You’ll never hear her screaming online or building some aggressive persona. She just shows up twice a week with ideas worth reading.
In a world of wrestlers, the person who refuses to put on a costume stands out.
You don't need a gimmick or a catchphrase. Your brand doesn’t have to be loud and in everyone’s face.
You just need to do good work and let it speak for itself.
While everyone else is performing, you can be building quietly, knowing that you’re not required to play a character to be successful.
Because in a world where everyone's yelling, sometimes a whisper is the most powerful sound.
What’s your take on today’s topic? Do you agree, disagree, or is there something I missed?
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Man, did I love reading this today. I've also been thinking about this alot. I've retracted the past few months. Went on an unfollowing spree over the past few days and boy was it glorious. I'm overwhelmed and exhausted battling the tidal wave of garbage content out there (and ridiculous WWE-ish personalities). I've started thinking, "Is this what we all need to become to build an audience?" Because I won't do it. I literally can't. Everytime I try to write to match that vibe, I stand up and walk away. And like your friend, I've built a nice little business for myself, quietly and without much fanfare. So it's more proof that it's possible.
The recurring message of “you must be performative” is exactly why I created The Quietly Ambitious.
There is another way.