Skip to main content

7-Second Thought Leadership

Opinion Leaders or Algorithm Pleasers?

The Frustration

Scroll. Like. Scroll. Click. Gone.
A four-word post with a Canva background gets 1,200 likes. A recycled Elon quote framed as “disruption” gets reposted by 3 VC bros. Meanwhile, your 1,500-word essay on satellite data standards is seen by 42 people.
And one of them is your mum. (Thanks, mum.)

We all see it. And we all feel it. But no one wants to say it because the algorithm rewards applause, not impact. And space people are starting to play along.

The Reality of the Feed

The average attention span is down to 7 seconds, which, in orbital terms, is shorter than one ground station pass.

So who wins in that window?

  • Not the deep-divers.
  • Not the educators.
  • Not the people building actual space hardware.

The winners are the dopamine-pushers. The carousels shouting “Redefining Space” with no mission, no roadmap, no launch.

Meanwhile, you spent the week debugging an FPGA. You fixed thermal stability. You got a new antenna to deploy. But you did not post. So in the algorithm’s eyes? You do not exist.

Performative Thought Leadership

NewSpace is now full of people who look like leaders online – until you ask them what their company actually does.

You will not find a datasheet. You will not find a satellite. But you will find a 10-slide carousel titled “How We Disrupt In-Orbit Servicing With a Remote-First Culture” – made in Figma.

Real thought leadership is now buried under a pile of manufactured hot takes. The algorithm favors whoever can say the loudest thing the fastest, not the truest thing with context.

So the loudest win. And the real ones get tired.

Real Influence Takes Time

If you are working on real missions, your visibility is probably lagging behind your delivery. That is not a failure. That is reality.

In space, everything takes longer. So does building trust.

Opinion leadership is not about going viral. It is about becoming memorable. When the next opportunity comes, who do they call? The person who posted the loudest? Or the one who quietly delivered over and over again?

Some of the most trusted figures in space rarely post. But when they do, people listen. That is influence.

Keep Showing Up

You do not need to become a content machine. But you do need to show up.

Try this:

  • Post when you actually have something to say.
  • Mix your formats. Add an infographic. Add a thought.
  • Talk about your process, not just your success.
  • Do not fake it. Please.

And when in doubt – build with depth, post with clarity, and ignore the noise.

This Is a Long Game

Empty content wins the scroll.
But you are not here to go viral.
You are here to go the distance.

And the people who matter will remember.