But what do the numbers actually mean?

Likes/Views/Streams…numbers.

There’s a large group of people that go to what they think is popular, only because it’s popular. It’s that group that goes to the Phish show that don’t know any of the songs they just want to be with the crowd, or maybe the boys that follow the girls to the Ariana Grande concert…because that’s where the girls are.

But how do you convince people that you’re more popular then you really are?  You buy and in the virtual world everything is for sale especially the conception of popularity.   It’s been going on for a long time but it’s expanded to new heights, whether or not its the bots on twitter, or the fake followers on instagram…

Popularity is for sale, and the higher the price only the richest can play, and so the less interesting the art becomes.
(Not because there are no interesting rich people, just that most of them didn’t become rich by being artists)

Some of the adds I get on a daily basis: