Create Some Mystery Around You I Robert Greene

Key Concepts:

• Scarcity/Disappearance: Strategically withdrawing from public view to create intrigue and maintain interest.
• Familiarity: The concept that overexposure leads to a decrease in perceived value and interest.
• Mystery: Cultivating an aura of the unknown to keep people engaged and prevent them from taking you for granted.
• Social Media Strategy: Applying principles of scarcity and mystery to online presence.

Main Argument: The Power of Disappearance

The core argument is that strategic disappearance, or creating scarcity, is crucial for maintaining interest and preventing people from taking you for granted. The speaker asserts that constant overexposure leads to familiarity, which diminishes perceived value.

Examples and Case Studies:

• Beyonce: Cited as an example of an artist who disappeared for a couple of years and then returned with an unexpected country western album, generating significant buzz. This illustrates the power of surprise and the impact of a strategic absence.
• Michael Jackson: Mentioned as another artist who would disappear for extended periods between albums (three to four years). This absence fueled speculation and heightened anticipation for his return, demonstrating the effectiveness of creating mystery.

Mechanism: Creating Mystery and Preventing Familiarity

The speaker emphasizes that when people know everything about you, they become less interested. Disappearing creates mystery and makes people wonder, leading them to talk about you and speculate about your activities. This heightened curiosity prevents them from taking you for granted.

Application to Social Media:

The advice is explicitly framed within the context of social media. The speaker suggests intentionally reducing posting frequency ("why is she not posting as much? why are we not seeing what she's wearing in the morning and having for breakfast?"). This deliberate absence is intended to make people wonder and generate conversation, thereby maintaining engagement.

Notable Quotes:

• "You have to keep people on their heels, they can't know everything about you." This encapsulates the central idea of maintaining an element of surprise and unpredictability.
• "Disappear for a couple weeks, make people talk about you, make people wonder." This is a direct call to action, outlining the practical application of the strategy.
• "If they know everything about you, it's human nature that you become too familiar and they're not interested in you anymore at a certain point, so you have to create mystery." This explains the psychological basis for the strategy, linking familiarity to decreased interest and highlighting the importance of mystery.

Synthesis/Conclusion:

The speaker advocates for strategic disappearance as a method for cultivating intrigue, preventing overexposure, and maintaining interest in a world saturated with information. By creating scarcity and mystery, individuals can avoid being taken for granted and ensure that their presence remains impactful. The examples of Beyonce and Michael Jackson serve as evidence of the effectiveness of this approach, even before the age of social media. The advice is directly applicable to managing one's online presence, suggesting that less can be more when it comes to maintaining engagement and perceived value.