What the creators of Flappy Bird and Bitcoin are teaching us about online media

In the past decade, we’ve seen a steady of convergence of two worlds that, until recently, were alien to one another: the worlds of reclusive cutting-edge nerds and the world of view-hungry journalists.

Rembrandt’s The Philosopher In Meditation gives us a picture into the former’s world. Drawn in the 1630s, it pictures a genius plumbing the depths of philosophy (or maybe mathematics) away from the world. It’s that secluded and wondrous quietude that some people at the edge of their fields treasure. It allows them the focus they need to be creative.

In many ways, programming is where the modern day mathematician goes to innovate. As the internet has grown, it has flung this very private activity into the spotlight. Some engineers, like Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg, thrive and even take advantage of the spotlight. But they are exceptional.

Dong Nguyen, the creator of Flappy Bird, and Satoshi Nakamoto, pseudonym of the alleged creator of Bitcoin, prefer to be like Rembrandt’s philosopher. They crave quietude. They want the space to do what they love without outside interruption. Their contributions to the internet were built behind closed curtains.

But these reclusive folks face a new tech-crazed world where the techies are hotter than Hollywood. The Social Network, The Internship, and upcoming HBO’s Silicon Valley TV show are all Hollywood-ifying the tech world. And this is increasingly troubling for the philosopher in meditation.

Every journalist will follow you into the rabbit hole

As we can see with the hunt for Satoshi Nakamoto and Dong Nguyen, the journalists, in their hunt for views and breaking news, are especially annoying to the recluses. The journalist who grabs the most revealing and first interview with the tech hermit gets the grand prize for most views. And for that reason, modern journalists are no worse than the NSA. They will stop at nothing to find you.

Credible news outlets like Techcrunch, even, are so eager for these hits and stories that they’ll egg on their readers to fundraise entire trips just to swarm Dong Nguyen. Even while hidden far from Silicon Valley, in the capital of Vietnam, Dong Nguyen is not safe from the press; something he has repeatedly stated he is tired of.

I can call 'Flappy Bird' is a success of mine. But it also ruins my simple life. So now I hate it.

— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) February 8, 2014

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