True Self vs Social Self - Dilemma of an indie hacker

by Joao Aguiam

As an indie hacker, how authentic can you be?

Distinguishing between what’s authentic and what’s fabricated, has become increasingly challenging.

AI has only worsened it...

I'm convinced that genuine authenticity finds its truest expression in closed communities like WIP from Marc, Small Bets from Daniel, or SaaS Makers from Valerian and Julien; and many others that each one of us is part of.

A great example is what Peter Levels shares on X and what he shares on WIP. I can learn much more from what he shares in this closed community!

However, personal branding is limited in those communities. We need more broader reach in general networks like X to increase our distribution. But there the focus is not on yourself, but on what others will like from you, so it will always be a different flavor of yourself.

I still believe we can be the most authentic possible without entering into the algorithm game to increase our reach.

I gave some more examples and details in my blog post.