Many beginner/amateur/indie creators don't seem to have figured out that they can escape this hypnotism and find success without any of these online group cultic affiliations. All you have to do—not easy, but many have accomplished this—is work to become *good enough* that your stories/art/writing will consistently sell to a general audience. QUALITY! Of course, in the crowded marketplace, everyone has the challenge of gaining enough attention to get decent sales. But that's a secondary thing. For the beginner, the seductive appeal of these groups—beyond the parasocial-clubhouse-approval aspect—is that joining them is a shortcut to attention and sales. But it's not! In fact, it might rocket you to nowhere, especially when you've smeared yourself with a tainted brand. And being in such a group won't improve your work by some weird magic or osmosis, either. You'll just waste time that could have been used practising & improving, instead spending it on being just another online fool. The amateur mindset seeking the quick & easy road to success doesn't face the unshakeable fact that if the work isn't good enough, NOTHING will make it sell...because buyers aren't stupid! Flogging the dead horse on streams won't make your steed jump to its feet, no matter how much you nag. Neigh, nay! Improve the quality enough that any casual prospective buyer who knows nothing about "CG" or any other group instantly thinks "gotta have/read that!" THEN, you won't have to sideline yourself in an online micro bubble, a tiny forgotten pimple on the comics industry, wasting your precious time in a pit of nonsense and stupidity. Joining such a thing is an affirmation of low self-confidence and unwillingness to compete in the open market.