A big difference between Facebook/Instagram and Tik Tok is that FB/Insta were nominally designed for "sharing your life" and "connecting with people". Tik Tok has always been "entertainment". It's like Twitter, but for videos: Brevity means "wit" (I'm being generous) or provocation. Bumper stickers for the mind. This means it is much easier for Tik Tok to craft a feed that is more broadly engaging.
You are absolutely correct that all of these sites are terrible deals for users and creators. Everyone is effectively working for free for the platform owners. If you have a successful bit of content, everyone BUT YOU gets to monetize it. And the platforms can and will kick you off for any or no reason.
Unfortunately, you will have to learn to play this particular marketing game if you want to connect with a particular audience. Maybe it doesn't matter to Boomers or Gen X...but many marketers will say that Boomers and Gen X don't matter to them anymore, either.
You are also absolutely correct that as we gaze into and shape the social media abyss, so that social media abyss gazes into and shapes us.
People are used to the idea that they MUST share their lives, and look for opportunities that are share-worthy. Pics or it didn't happen. Plenty of businesses are designing environments specifically to be social media-friendly, and trying to drive that moment.
I am admittedly old, but I find it all somewhat desperate and sad and quite dystopian.
Against the few nebulous feel-good stories we have read and personal anecdotes about the value of reconnecting with someone from long ago, we have rampant disinformation, the death of news and truth, and a frantic and useless quality to all of it.
I hope that in some years' time we will look at social media the way we look at smoking now: I can't believe we let kids do that. Who knew it was so bad for everyone? It probably needs warning labels and regulation.
A big difference between Facebook/Instagram and Tik Tok is that FB/Insta were nominally designed for "sharing your life" and "connecting with people". Tik Tok has always been "entertainment". It's like Twitter, but for videos: Brevity means "wit" (I'm being generous) or provocation. Bumper stickers for the mind. This means it is much easier for Tik Tok to craft a feed that is more broadly engaging.
You are absolutely correct that all of these sites are terrible deals for users and creators. Everyone is effectively working for free for the platform owners. If you have a successful bit of content, everyone BUT YOU gets to monetize it. And the platforms can and will kick you off for any or no reason.
Unfortunately, you will have to learn to play this particular marketing game if you want to connect with a particular audience. Maybe it doesn't matter to Boomers or Gen X...but many marketers will say that Boomers and Gen X don't matter to them anymore, either.
You are also absolutely correct that as we gaze into and shape the social media abyss, so that social media abyss gazes into and shapes us.
People are used to the idea that they MUST share their lives, and look for opportunities that are share-worthy. Pics or it didn't happen. Plenty of businesses are designing environments specifically to be social media-friendly, and trying to drive that moment.
I am admittedly old, but I find it all somewhat desperate and sad and quite dystopian.
Against the few nebulous feel-good stories we have read and personal anecdotes about the value of reconnecting with someone from long ago, we have rampant disinformation, the death of news and truth, and a frantic and useless quality to all of it.
I hope that in some years' time we will look at social media the way we look at smoking now: I can't believe we let kids do that. Who knew it was so bad for everyone? It probably needs warning labels and regulation.
Enjoyed this a lot, Mark. Looking forward to further explorations on the topic!
Good stuff, thanks for the detailed footnotes (yeah, somebody’s reading them!)