> You seem to be saying that you don't feel you're succeeding unless you have a creator-level social presence with fans oohing and ahhing about your coding prowess.
Not even remotely and I'm not sure how you read that. I'm not really worried about "succeeding" at this point in my career as a programmer.
I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting other people to enjoy the things you've created as a hobbyist. It's a very human experience and completely normal in other hobbies. If I were into gardening and I gave my neighbor the vegetables/fruit from my harvest I don't think anyone would read that as wanting to be a celebrity or whatever you're suggesting. I'm not looking for fame. I just want to make something that someone besides myself can enjoy.
Compare these two things, though. Would you be upset if strangers from around the globe don't pay heed to your beautiful garden? Friends, sure. Family, sure. Neighbours even. As for strangers all over the globe, I wouldn't care much about their opinion of my garden. They're busy with their own gardens, or admiring their friends', neighbours' etc. gardens. You may differ on that.
I get your point, but I still see it as trying to wring some lovin' from strangers on the Internet. That's the entire MO of sites like TikTok, so it clearly is a thing.
It doesn't matter to me whether its a stranger on the internet or a friend or neighbor, truly. If I had a friend who had a problem that I could help solve with software, I'd already be down that path (and I have many times before). I don't have the community that you're describing.
FWIW I don't have TikTok or any SM profile besides my Github account, and even with that I've never done much to promote anything I've built.
This is more about having a muse than it is getting popularity.
Not even remotely and I'm not sure how you read that. I'm not really worried about "succeeding" at this point in my career as a programmer.
I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting other people to enjoy the things you've created as a hobbyist. It's a very human experience and completely normal in other hobbies. If I were into gardening and I gave my neighbor the vegetables/fruit from my harvest I don't think anyone would read that as wanting to be a celebrity or whatever you're suggesting. I'm not looking for fame. I just want to make something that someone besides myself can enjoy.