I have to really turn off my Facebook notifications recently due to the rate of tags I get on a daily basis since the monetization saga. Before then, once I turn on my data, all I will be seeing is @-highlights and @-followers from many Facebook friends hustling for their content monetization. Monetizing social media is not entirely the worst thing that has happened, nor is it the best thing that has happened to us, because it has both positive and negative impacts. It literally depends on the users, and I will explain starting from the positive aspect of this initiative.
Nowadays, we could see lots of content creators online working hard to earn a living through social media monetization. Even people I never knew had writing skills, now craft stories online for monetization purposes. Some people who don't know how to create content are seriously learning how to do so, and that's a kind of new skill they are grooming for themselves, all because of money in our digital world. To me, it's a positive side of this initiative. People we don't usually see online are now coming from their hideouts, displaying their talents, and making their voices be heard through social media, all to make a living.
The fact that it takes lots of time before getting to the monetization stage makes these people work daily, hustling for new content to create every now and then, and somehow, they are being motivated to unleash their creativity, for those who are genuinely engaging though, which is great. Sometimes, I scroll through social media and see that many business owners now seize the opportunity to be great marketers online, marketing their business through writing and through videos consistently, making sales and growing their accounts alongside, getting ready to be paid by Mark Zuckerberg, hehe 😃.
Some are even learning video editing to make their videos more attractive. I know a tailor like that; she has never done such a thing since many years ago when she started tailoring, but the monetization idea brought her out. That's really interesting, and it's more interesting to see that most people across the globe can now make a living through social media even without hunting for the traditional job. These are some positive impacts I have observed so far since the social media monetization. However, there are lots of concerns over this monetization of a thing.
Over the years, we have been suffering from fake news on the internet, and now we have been swimming inside the real fake news, all because of monetization. Everyone is pushing to publish their content for the day, whether filtered or unfiltered information. The one I saw yesterday pissed me off! People now manufacture lies , tag their followers, and publish them. Most content creators don't care about how detrimental false information can affect people's lives or reputations; it's all about money. Whatever they think about , they do, provided it can increase their followers without considering the negative effects of their toxic content.
Many people are going to extra lengths and, in a negative way, just to get to the stage of getting this monetization, and it's a concern. Imagine polluting the whole space with fake pranks, fake info, and all that? The trend has been unhealthy all because creators are seeking attention and to gain popularity.
While I wouldn't condemn this initiative because of how it can come through for many people financially, I wish that people utilized this opportunity positively. Maybe some kind of regulation should be implemented to bring things under control. Let's say rewarding only creators with healthier engagement rather than that trash we see on social media nowadays, all in the name of monetization.
This is my response to the #HiveLearners community contest on the topic titled, Monetizing Social Media.
All images were taken from canva