Why I Press Post Anyway

If you’ve ever noticed that strangers support your work more freely than the people who actually know you, this one’s for you.In this essay I try to make sense of something I’ve started calling social chess. The idea that for some people, what looks like genuine enthusiasm online is seemingly more strategic. A calculated act of public association. I ask whether that makes it performative, or whether I’m reading too much into it. I genuinely don’t know the answer. But I keep pressing post anyway.This is the audio version of my essay, originally published on my Substack, Full Beam Ahead. If you’d like to read it, I’d be honoured.Full beam ahead. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sophieyasmin.substack.com