> It's the giant lie of social media, where everyone is creating but almost no one is really consuming -- we all think we're tricking the system and cultivating our own consumers.
Hmm. I can see what you're getting at, but I don't entirely agree.
Looking at my facebook newsfeed nowadays, for example, there's an awful lot of sharing going on, but it's not original content - there's very little creation going on. I'm slowly weeding this stuff out because what I really want to see is what my friends and family are saying, or posting, for themselves.
I share photos on Instagram as much for my own benefit as anyone else's. That being said, I have found myself thinking things that essentially boil down to, "This will get a lot of likes," and I'm not sure how I feel about it.
You might be a little cynical with the comment about feigning interest though. I'm sure it's true of some people but I know for myself, if I click 'Like' (and especially if I make a comment), it's because I genuinely do like something.
> Looking at my facebook newsfeed nowadays, for example, there's an awful lot of sharing going on, but it's not original content - there's very little creation going on. I'm slowly weeding this stuff out because what I really want to see is what my friends and family are saying, or posting, for themselves.
This is reportedly something that Facebook has noticed themselves.
> Overall sharing has remained "strong," according to Facebook. However, people have been less willing to post updates about their lives as their lists of friends grow, the people said.
Instead, Facebook’s 1.6 billion users are posting more news and information from other websites. As Facebook ages, users may have more than a decade’s worth of acquaintances added as friends. People may not always feel comfortable checking into a local bar or sharing an anecdote from their lives, knowing these updates may not be relevant to all their connections. [1]
> People may not always feel comfortable checking into a local bar or sharing an anecdote from their lives, knowing these updates may not be relevant to all their connections.
Google Plus solved this exact problem 5 years ago with "circles", letting you choose what to share with which groups of "friends". Why hasn't Facebook implemented this?
They actually have - and make it a bit easier than G+ did - with Groups and Smart Lists.
They also added a separate tier called 'Acquaintances' that you could add people to a while back.
However most users don't make use of it and will either share with Public or Friends. The only exception is things like groups - which are popular with things like neonatal classes and sports teams.
"Looking at my facebook newsfeed nowadays, for example, there's an awful lot of sharing going on, but it's not original content"
Maybe I'm just teasing easy confirmations of my theory -- very probably the case -- but I truly think that is the inevitable end-game that Facebook has hit, that Twitter has hit, and that Instagram is rapidly shooting towards.
When the circle of reciprocity breaks -- when people break the "contract" of earning cheap accolades by giving cheap accolades -- it starts to become embarrassing posting original content. When you post content and get a single digit of likes, it's demotivating for many and makes them feel like a social failure, so pretty soon it's just regurgitated memes and the like. I've seen this play out across a number of age groups, to the same eventual outcome. And I didn't look at this cynically but it was a theory I floated years ago about Flickr, so I watched to see if it would happen on Facebook. I truly believe social networks should allow users to hide all likes/shares/etc, but they won't for a very good reason - gaming users.
"You might be a little cynical with the comment about feigning interest though"
We all have close family and close friends who of course we have a personal, sincere interest in. But as you go out the sincerity declines at a perilous slope. But Instagram and others aren't built around sharing with a few close friends.
I've thought of making a chrome extension or something that would edit your newsfeed like this. Only show posts that don't have external links. I have a feeling my feed would become pretty barren.
Hmm. I can see what you're getting at, but I don't entirely agree.
Looking at my facebook newsfeed nowadays, for example, there's an awful lot of sharing going on, but it's not original content - there's very little creation going on. I'm slowly weeding this stuff out because what I really want to see is what my friends and family are saying, or posting, for themselves.
I share photos on Instagram as much for my own benefit as anyone else's. That being said, I have found myself thinking things that essentially boil down to, "This will get a lot of likes," and I'm not sure how I feel about it.
You might be a little cynical with the comment about feigning interest though. I'm sure it's true of some people but I know for myself, if I click 'Like' (and especially if I make a comment), it's because I genuinely do like something.