Technology writer Nicholas Carr once described online creators as "digital sharecroppers."

The analogy comes from the sharecropping system that emerged after the American Civil War: farmers worked land they didn't own, invested all the effort, harvested the crops—and then handed the largest share to the landowner.

The same pattern exists online today.

You create the content.
You build the audience.
You generate the attention.

But the platform owns the land.

The Illusion of Ownership

Every day, businesses wake up to suspended accounts, declining reach, or algorithm updates that dramatically reduce their visibility.

Why?

Because they never truly owned their audience.

One of the biggest misconceptions is confusing followers with assets.

Followers exist inside someone else's platform. The company decides who sees your content, when they see it, and how much you'll have to pay to reach them.

One algorithm change can reshape your business overnight.

As Seth Godin has argued for years:

"Your email list is an asset. Your social media followers belong to the platform."

The difference is simple.

Renting an apartment gives you a place to live.

Owning a home gives you control.

From Renting to Owning

Social media should never be your destination.

It should be your distribution channel.

Think of your business as a house.

Your website, email list, CRM, and customer systems are the foundation you own.

Social platforms are simply the roads that bring people to your front door.

As Jeff Bezos famously said:

"Your brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room."

But there's another question worth asking:

Do you even own the room?

Because if your entire business lives on platforms you don't control, you're always building someone else's property.

The smartest businesses use social media to create visibility—but they build their long-term value on assets they truly own.