Social media platforms promise to deliver reach, connection, and an opportunity to build our online presence. But behind this promise lies a harsh reality that the majority of content creators are forced to endure - that of control, limitations, and sudden losses.
Facebook pages and monetization have become more and more difficult, similar to climbing a mountain with ever-changing trails. Creators dedicate hours upon hours to crafting posts, interacting with their following, and establishing their community. The platform requires certain metrics, levels of engagement, and compliance with rigid rules before even thinking about offering you monetization.
The truth is that we never actually own our Facebook accounts or pages. We're really just renting space on the Internet from Mark Zuckerberg's kingdom. Any content creator who gets to monetization level is technically a Facebook employee, earning a percentage of revenue they generate for Facebook.
It's like being the marketing officer of a bank that gets paid according to the number of new accounts they open. The greater the value you provide Facebook, the more money you could get, but on their own terms.
My own experience illustrates this. Two months' worth of work on a Facebook page, hours and hours of content creation and engagement with people, all gone in an instant. I was just informed one day my account needed a security check. No explanation. No warning. Just a straightforward request that I authenticate myself.
While I managed to regain my account through passing the security check, my page of two months' worth of work was lost. Vanished just like that.
This is only possible with centralized platforms on which all depends in the hands of one or a few individuals. Your content, your community, your entire online being can be erased at the platform's arbitrary algorithms' or policies' whim.
Decentralized platforms built on blockchain offer an alternative. On every one of these platforms, your content is truly yours. There isn't one deciding body that will one day decide to eliminate your work or restrict your access. Your online property is yours, secured by blockchain technology.
The distinction between centralized and decentralized platforms becomes more evident each day. Although mainstream social media platforms like Facebook offer massive reach and potential to monetize, they come with gigantic risks and limitations. Your success is only dependent on playing by their rules and praying you don't get in their way and their ever-shifting policies.
Decentralized platforms, founded on blockchain technology, offer a more secure and indeed autonomous alternative. Creators retain what they make, have control over their presence, and are not subject to instantaneous, unexplained removal or limitation.
The future of social media does not have to be uncertain and based on central authorities. The more individuals discover the limitations and frustrations of central platforms, the more decentralization becomes not only preferable, but inevitable.
For anyone beginning to build their online presence, it's worth an understanding that true digital ownership comes only on decentralized platforms. Existing social media might seem like the more convenient path, but security and autonomy of blockchain-based platforms make them a choice definitely worth consideration.
Remember: your content, your people, and your digital presence are valuable. They are worth being on platforms where they can't be erased at the touch of a notification.