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There are certain social media rules we can all agree on: Ghosting a conversation is impolite, and replying k to a text is the equivalent of a backhand slap (violent, wrong, and rude). But what about the rest of the rules? When can we really remind someone of our old Venmo request? What happens when someone tries to flirt with you on LinkedIn? Fortunately, terminally online writers Delia Cai and Steffi Cao are here to answer all your digital quandaries, big or small. For Fast Companys final installment of our advice column, Posting Playbook, Steffi Cao and Delia Cai tackle your biggest questions about online careerism and Venmo etiquette. I feel like I should be posting more on social media to further my career as an artist. Am I going to fall behind if I don’t? Steffi: I see it as a kind of add-on situation: Posting on social media can be a great tool to promote your work and get different eyeballs on your art, but its not crucial to your development as an artist. What matters the most is honing your skill and actually making stuff, after allonce you start caring more about your Instagram posts than your product, then its time to sit back and reevaluate your life. But its silly to say that you can totally eschew social media to further any public-facing career now. Everyone, regardless of their industry, has some kind of pressure to advertise their lives, and romanticize their high-powered careers through the bells and whistles of mirror selfies, party photos, a medley of vague, brooding slice-of-life shots featuring glasses of white wine and overlays of books. But you cant believe everything you see on social media. Thats always the rule. This includes the smoke-and-mirrors of glamorous industry parties where everyone seems to be dressed well and rubbing shoulders with the right circles of people, who seem to be getting further in their artistic endeavors because theyre drinking champagne with the right people. Connections are deeply important to any creative industry, this is always true, but its not worth it to stress about if youre falling behind because you saw someone post their Getty Images from last nights downtown indie soiree. That way lies madness. I say, put aside time to post on the platform that feels least annoying to you, then youre free to ignore it for the rest of the week. Nothing about it should be super high-investment, since this is free content, but just throw a bone out there to say, who want me? Then you can spend the rest of your precious time actually making something that feels good to you. This shouldnt be your number-one priority anyway, and it really shouldnt take up the most valuable real estate in your brain. Delia: Not necessarily. Social media is certainly useful both as a de facto business card and a method of updating people about your work. But the real secret to using it to advance ones career, I think, is that it humanizes you to prospective clients, collaborators, etc. and essentially helps people feel like they already know you. And of course, everyone prefers working with people they know. Thats a bit of a cynical read on the state of parasocialism, but perhaps it might be helpful for you to consider the strategy of your posting in that way, outside of simply having to post more. Still, if the idea of tending to your social media as an artist just totally deadens your heart, theres no rule that says you post, or be left behind. I do think that if you choose to opt out of posting, I would still take the time to set up your page with a few highlights and basic info (like how to get in touch or where to see your work), and then you can leave it be. Otherwise, youre likely will miss out on opportunities any time someone decides to look you up on social media first. If youre worried about falling behindor at least, being less top-of-mind than your more post-happy peersyou may have to commit a little more energy into IRL networking and promoting your work. Whether its giving yourself a goal of going on a couple of coffee meetings per month or looking into other forms of online self-promotion (newsletters, a traditional website), go with the method that feels most in alignment with you. What’s the correct Venmo request/reminder/payment etiquette? Delia: As a personal rule, I try to never put the lender (the person who is owed the money on Venmo) in a position where they have to raise the topic with me first. If a friend offers to cover drinks at the bar, Ill make a point of asking them to Venmo request me, though I think its classier to simply take a look at the bill at the end of the night and proactively send the money through immediately. On the other end, of course, its trickier. I tend to always use emojis in the description of a Venmo request to soften the feeling of like, itemizing my relationships, and I will never use the actual Venmo remind button, because that seems passive-aggressive. If more than a week goes by and the request hasnt been paid, Ill shoot a text to that person and feign a bit of relatable urgency: Hi! So sorry, but do you mind Venmoing me for last weeks movie? Have to pay my landlord today! That subtly shifts the issue to be a matter of payment timing, and not my (real) annoyance about not getting paid back. If that text gets ignored (or lost in the shuffle), I might bring it up with this person the next time I see them in person, but otherwise, I might cut my losses and begin reevaluating the friendship itself. Because then its just rude! Steffi: For everyones peace of mind, its incredibly important to have a common understanding with your loved ones about how you prefer to Venmo each other. A lack of communication around money has been the impetus for many ends of friendships, relationships, marriages and moreso when youre out with your friends, its always important to ask if youd prefer to split the bill evenly or put it on one card and Venmo request. Also, like Delia said, be proactive about paying people back when they cover for you. As for those bigger days out where multiple cards are getting put down on the table (long nights out, weeklong trips, bachelorette parties), I think its very important to set an expectation with people before the bill gets paid about how these Venmo requests are about to work. It doesnt need to be a long conversation, but its important to get on the same page about it. Whether its one card operating as a tab that charges everyone back or splitting evenly each time, as long as youre all comfortable with it ahead of time, thats all that matters. To be honest, my best friends and I Venmo request each other line-by-line, even if weve all effectively paid the same amount, because we all do not play about our budget spreadsheets. Perhaps it might be considered overkill, but Ive never worried about covering for them as a result, because weve had a quiet agreement on how we respect each others money for a decade. Ive never used the remind button as a result. Frankly, I think people need to be more annoyingly candid about money. Look around us! Eggs are ten dollars, tariffs are sending prices to the moon, the cost of living is outpacing income by a mile. Get real and stop putting your card down for people you dont know just because youre worried about being impolite. Venmo request everyone immediately if they havent already paid you back. It all boils down to the time-worn adagetreat people how you would want to be treated. Wouldnt that also apply to your own hard-earned money?
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E-Commerce
Just a couple of years ago, pundits were warning of streamings demise. From Netflix to Spotify, these companies were burning through cash. How could they keep operating? Now, almost all of the streamers have made it to positive profits. Netflix is the envy of the entertainment industry, while its underlings like Disney+ and Max have also turned around their losses. Last Tuesday, Spotify shares jumped 13% after the company announced its first full year of profitability. There are still stragglers, but on the whole, streaming has formed itself into a successful business model. Theres a lesson here: For emerging tech, theres value in patience. It took streaming over a decade to get it right, to effectively combine user growth and ad sales in a way that manifested profits. We should expect the same from all of our tech innovators. How streaming became profitable In the late 2010s, things werent looking positive for Netflix. Sure, they were making positive profits, but their debt was staggering. The company had amassed $15 billion in long-term debt by the end of 2020; compared to quarterly profits of just around $1 billion, Netflix seemed ready to capsize. CNNs headline at the time: Netflix is burning through cash. This cant last forever. Now, everyone wants to be Netflix. Their profit margin is now 22%, earning $8.71 billion last year in profits (from some $39 billion in revenue). Remarkably, the business is expanding. They added a record-breaking 19 million subscribers in the fourth quarter of 2024, mostly thanks to the live fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson. And their ad tier, which used to be a tiny subsidiary of their business, is now scaling rapidly. Its good to be in the business of Netflix. The smaller streamers, once the butt of Wall Streets jokes, are now reaching profitability. Max eked out its first positive profit of $103 million in 2023. Compare that to 2020, where WarnerMedia blamed their $1.2 billion in losses on investments in the streamer. Disneys streaming division, which compromises both Disney+ and Hulu, just reached their second straight quarter of profitability. In 2022, the division was losing the company over $3 billion. Now, Spotify has joined the club. For years, Spotify failed to put up positive profits. Their losses reached a peak in the second quarter of 2023, when Spotify lost about $256 million. The Wired headline from that year: Spotify is Screwed. Now, theyve reached a full year of positive profits. The virtue of patience with emerging tech The sheer scale of money lost made streamers an easy target. In 2020, when Netflix was saddled with some $15 billion in long-term debt, the company also had a marketcap of $238.89 billion. How could we so blindly trust a company that was burning through money? But these are long-term bets, and the bets eventually paid off. The same could be true for dozens of emerging tech fields of today. Look at AI. OpenAI, the golden child of the industry, lost $5 billion in 2024. And they keep taking on more money, most recently $6.6 billion in new investments and a $4 billion line of credit. How can we justify this? But AI companies (OpenAI chief among them) are betting on the future. AI might not be profitable now, but it will be. Its hard to trust OpenAI CEO Sam Altman when he makes these grand claims. But, if streaming is any indication, he could be right. The tech market demands patience; not just months of it, but years.
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E-Commerce
Its no surprise that artificial intelligence is transforming the way we learn, but it also has the potential to add a sprinkling of magic to on-the-job training. Turning the ordinary into the extraordinary is especially beneficial in the skilled trades. Were already seeing social media inspire the next generation of tradespeople, and AI-based learning programs can help attract, develop, and retain young talent. In the U.S., hiring for skilled roles, including electricians, industrial machinery workers, plumbers, and HVAC technicians, could be more than 20 times the projected annual increase in new jobs from 2022 to 2032. The current pipeline of skilled trades training cant keep up with the demand for workers, and a significant percentage of high school students interested in training programs find themselves on a waiting list. Employer investments in training and upskilling programs are critical in closing the labor gap. AI training requires a foundational knowledge We have already seen that AI is effective for advanced learning. It synthesizes information, translates it, and creates more personalized learning experiences. However, leveraging AIs power hinges on one critical ingredienta strong digital foundation. This is where many employers will fall short. They have traditionally relied on job shadowing, the occasional in-person classroom training, or limited online compliance training. Further, there is a common misconception that skilled workers will be able to learn in the field with an AI-enabled device as their primary means of information. These devices are useful for troubleshooting or serving as a quick reference tool, but they should only be used in conjunction with substantive foundational knowledge. The cognitive load while working makes it incredibly challenging to learn efficiently and effectively. Imagine being in a setting with safety risks, noise, and multiple distractions competing for your attention. At the same time, youre supposed to be taking in new information, acting on it, and retaining it. But, if that AI-supported in-the-field training was combined with a robust AI-driven digital foundational program, thats where the magic starts to happen. The most effective training takes place when employees have time to internalize the material, reflect on it, and review it. The need to pair AI with people A digital foundation that combines strategic assessments, core course material, bite-size learning, and digital simulations with real-world scenarios can provide the hands-on learning that is essential in the skilled trades. Whats more, all of this can be done in a safe, controlled environment. AI can communicate big ideas and take on the role of mentor, highlighting what is important, assessing skills, offering support, and providing insights into strengths and weaknesses. AI can serve as a personal learning guide, but it can’t provide emotional support and won’t replace people. Instead, great teachers will use AI along with digital learning to make their emotional interaction more useful. AI is advancing at a rapid pace, and many CEOs are asking themselves what their organization should be doing with AI and when to jump in. The answer is to jump in now. The consequences of not adopting digital learning will only get more severe the longer they wait. Learning is essential for every role and at every age, from the Gen Zers who are increasingly skipping college to existing employees requesting upskilling tailored to their specific needs. A digital foundation is the magicor missing ingredientthat lays the groundwork for CEOs to address labor shortages, reduce risk, and increase operational efficiency within their workforce. Doug Donovan is founder and CEO of Interplay Learning.
Category:
E-Commerce
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