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Doctorow is one of those older bloggers from the pre-influencer era who realized that they get a lot more eyeballs on their content by leaning into memeing and

Doctorow is one of those older bloggers from the pre-influencer era who realized that they get a lot more eyeballs on their content by leaning into memeing and rage baiting than by sober analysis. At first it was fun but eventually the rigor of his arguments took backseat to his influencer game. What makes him particularly interesting is he's an influencer for the type of person who claims they hate influencers and the modern social media landscape. I wish he went back to writing cool fiction but I'm guessing that's a lot more effort for a lot less influence. And honestly he's done his bonafides in the fiction world so it's not like he has anything to prove. (Yes I know he had some fiction out last year but he took a long break. Maybe he's back on the fiction horse?)

reidrac 1y ago
I read what I think is his newest book and I liked it. It takes an special author to write a thriller that makes spreadsheets exciting.
- jeffbee 1y ago
  Doctorow the fiction author and Doctorow the commentator must be considered separately.
  - fragmede 1y ago
    If we're considering things, Doctorow the HN commenter should also be considered. https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=cdoctorow https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=cdoctorow
baggachipz 1y ago
> I wish he went back to writing cool fiction but I'm guessing that's a lot more effort for a lot less influence. What are you on about, he released a new fiction book last year.
- Karrot_Kream 1y ago
  He took a long break during which his commentary output really, really increased. I perceived that as a shift in focus.