Hm. Hmmm. Hmmmmnmm.
Okay so ...here's my take. It's not the consumers job to care about how the provider of entertainment makes themselves a success.
As a creator, it's my job to make sure my work gets out there. Sure, I can post my updates, cross my fingers, and look up to the sky above and hope that one day I might have enough viewers.
The simple fact is, that unless creators hustle their work on multiple platforms, do everything they can to make sure their work is the best they can produce...then simply relying on algorithms will never work.
The key is to find out how to make the algorithm work in your favor. It's not easy. Being a creator is never easy. I'm not even there yet, but I know this at least:
My work needs to both create a need and also fill a need. I need to make people want to read and consume, or eventually pay me for it. It's not the readers job, it's not even Tapas' job...it's my job.
If I want engagement because apparently that's the only way to succeed, how am I showing that I want it? Am I making people want to engage with me, or my characters?
I mean, if I'm happy with just posting my comic and having a few people read it...I don't need to do any of that. But if I want to have it be more than a hobby...I need to treat it like a product. Not a passion.
Happy feelings only take me so far. I don't know about anyone else, but...I keep working and getting better even when making my comic doesn't warm my heart.
Anyways. In my opinion: The burden of success lies on the creator, not the consumer.
(I don't care that I have dead subs. At least I have the benchmark to show that people were at least interested in starting the comic. That tells me there's potential. Silver lining.)