Content creation and businesses have replaced the “fun” on social media.
Social media has progressively taken a turn in the business direction. Just a few years ago, many were content with just posting whatever we wanted to their social media accounts. We have however, slowly gone from freely posting about our lives and what we love, to creating a business brand on these apps.
Today, most things on Instagram are calculated and monetized, building an atmosphere centered on buying and selling from each other. Content creation is at an all-time high, generating an immerse income for these social media creators.
Although most of these creators are well advanced in their craft, the idea of being an influencer is replacing the normalcy of social media apps.
It has become a quick way to make income and given that there are more brand exposures on social media, it is more effective to advertise a brand on there than many other traditional venues for advertisement.
Nevertheless, it has created a false sense that our social media profiles need to be aesthetically pleasing, selling this image of ourselves that is only widely accepted across these apps.
We cannot all be content creators. Social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok generate an income through monetization. For this reason, these apps generally push the idea of influencer sponsored content.
The social media apps are also making a great income by promoting brands that they believe the average user may want to see. It has caused an over-saturation of content, eliminating the “space” for fun and organic posts. The idea that social media is a common and useful tool for promotion, it has also added to the over-saturation of professional content creation.
Dating back to Covid, the social media app Tiktok, became popularly known for posting fun, silly videos. Although the app remains fun and humorous, there is no doubt that content creation has become the new norm. One is likely to come across a content creator’s video with every 3-4 scrolls.
Content creation and business exposures are not the problem on these social media apps. The problem occurs when the social media community has replaced the fun, and care-free environment that was once the norm on these apps. One should be able to post whatever they desire, without feeling like it is not “aesthetic” enough. Additionally, one should freely post without the burden of only posting to “promote” a business or idea.
Realistically, not all of us are equipped to be content creators and that is okay. Promoting the idea that we must post something worthy of social media can be exhausting. There are people who excel at content creation, when done right. There are also businesses that promote themselves well on social media. It doesn’t necessarily mean that we must all do the same.
Social media has slowly transformed into a more business centered environment, putting income and marketing at the top of its usage.
Where did the “fun” on social media go?
