Many people pursue clicks and likes for revenue, but many people don't. If I put one of my songs on youtube, I don't really expect to make any money on it, or even to get likes or whatever. But a few people do see them, and like them, and apparently enjoy them. I'm OK with whatever here.

And that is the mistake the author makes. Sure, many people are trying to game their side hustle into revenue and careers, but many, many more people aren't. They just do it for fun, and if something comes out of it, great.

The former may be more visible than the latter, but there are plenty of the latter out there.