We live in a world where power is expressed by "capturing" the attention of someone else. The powerful are powerful because they have lots of other people following them. The language of "follow me" plays into this power dynamic. It is a command, and it centers the ask on the desire that the content creator has to increase their followers. But attention is a gift. It's more important that we ask what it does to the viewer to pay attention to this content creator. While "welcome me" is still a command, it centers the desires of the viewer. It begs the question, "welcome me into what?" This can help the viewer bring consciousness into their own agency as they curate the experience of what they would like to view. These words also flip the implied power hierarchy on its head. And finally, while "follow me" brings to mind images of a violent leader conscripting faceless troops into an obedient army, "welcome me" brings to mind images of a friendly and intimate dinner party where value is warmly exchanged in both directions.

Thank you for all the original photography on Unsplash: Kevin Jarrett, Alex Chernenko, Austin Wade, Micaela Parente, Dima Pechurin, Chalo Garcia, Sand Crain, Ed Robertson, and Casey Horner.