Whenever we join up at a new platform, we of course think about what we expect to get out of the platform - what do we gain by being involved? This is natural of course, because as an individual, we want to maximize our experience, we want to enjoy ourselves and we want to get more of what we want. And this is what the centralized platforms have been offering over the last two decades - but is the world a better place because of it?
I would say, no.
And I think that it is pretty clear this model doesn't work to improve social wellbeing and why it doesn't, because people don't own their experiences there - they are just users, masses that are conditioned and influenced in order to maximize profits for the platform itself. What an individual user expects to gain from the platform and what they actually get, might be quite different. For instance, the average Twitter user gets close to zero engagement. And while the media mis filled with OnlyFans models earning millions, the average earning for a model is something around 150 dollars a month. That is the average - which means there are many earning less.
You might have noticed over the last few months, there has been an increasing push back against the platforms, especially in terms of children using them. Some of this is political like the impending TikTok ban in the US, and some is social, where studies like the French report on screen time for kids has shown how impactful it can be on development. But ultimately, what it comes down to, is how much control these platforms have over the users.
Users on these platforms don't own their accounts and even when (and perhaps especially when) monetized, they are at the mercy of the platform to get seen by the algorithms, get pushed to other users, and of course, to actually get paid. And as a user, the algorithms that seem driven by usage, are actually tailored in order to maximize advertising revenue for the platform. For example, 98% of Meta's revenue comes from advertising, and this is similar for all of the data-collector platforms. Even for Alphabet (Google) with all of their product range, 77% of their income is from ad revenue.
Data matters.
Who has access to it. Who controls it. Who owns it. Who monetizes it. In the current economy, data and how it is used drives everything from corporate earnings to which government is in power. And because of this, data also impacts on how an individual is going to experience their life, because every aspect of their experience is influenced by the larger meta conditions, the ones where everyone is involved. The mega platforms drive the information meta, and because they are only interested in maximizing shareholder wealth through profits, they don't actually put thought into what they are doing to the wellbeing of their users.
Because the users have no say, because they aren't owners.
Essentially users are always indebted to the platforms they are on, because they don't own any part of what they are using. Every Facebook user is a renter, as is everyone on TikTok, Instagram, X and the rest. The only power a user has on those platforms is whether they use it, or not. But the platforms have compelling arguments to keep using them, with the largest one being that this is where all your audience is.
But it is a tenuous position.
Because the only reason that audience is there, is because they haven't fully comprehended what it means for them to be a user on the platform, having no control over their experience, owning nothing, and being constantly scraped and influenced in order to make profits for the platform itself. And the social costs, the behavioural costs, the impact on personal wellbeing and the wellbeing of the local communities, are not well documented yet, but the evidence is growing.
The problem itself isn't "social media" but rather, the models that the current crop of social media employ to maximize profits at any cost to users or society as a whole. We live in a globalized world where digital technology allows us to interact and be part of communities we would never have had access to earlier, and the current platforms predominantly leverage this to bring out the worst of human behaviour, the worst in individuals and groups, because that is how they can divide, conquer, and maximize profits. It might not be an intentional goal, but it is an outcome nonetheless.
I don't know how long it will take for the social culture to change, but I think that in time, people will increasingly start recognizing that if they want to improve their individual wellbeing, they are going to have to be owners. This is the same for someone who wants to improve their financial wellbeing, isn't it? Owning generative assets is an income, renting is an expense. If we want to improve our lot in life, whether it be financial or social, we have to take the responsibility and own our experiences, including the digital lives that are now part of our physical lives.
Platforms like Hive take this to an even greater level, because not only do people own their experience here, but they also own the currencies used, that in turn provide ownership of the platform, including the development of it. While centralization has always led to inevitable failure, we now have the technological capabilities to apply decentralization at scale in a global sense, at every layer of our social experience, from the currencies used for payments, to the platforms used for social interaction and personal creativity.
The argument to stay on the other platforms because that is where the audience is is valid, but only for as long as those platforms can convince their users that there are no other options. This is not true at all, and once those users use the only power available to them on the platform and stop using them, they will find that there are other alternatives that can do the same, or be developed to do the same, in what would be a decentralized, more robust, more distributive, and far healthier way.
Walk away.
Stop making the centralized platforms your authority for their profit.
Defund them, and fund yourselves.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
Posted Using InLeo Alpha
The Aussie under 16 ban is going to be huge for Hive. We have a year to transition people across.
Do you think they are going to be able to enforce it?
I assume they're rolling out a system that won't work as intended, so they can fix it and get what they actually wanted.
From what I understand of the legislation, it's a big penalty for any social media company that creates an account without checking minimum age.
Here, individuals create accounts for themselves or for each other, often anonymously. Suggests Hive isn't affected by the new rule, but stands to attract a heap of new users.
Good post ! Another issue with centralised platforms is that they're too closely tied to governments. The governments know who is in charge if they need to lean on them to implement policies or agendas. Plus, there's just too much money swilling around. The platforms can use it to buy influence, and governments can threaten to extract it in taxation or fines if the platforms don't toe the line.
But somehow, we do need to get more money into decentralised platforms, either fees from users or charges for services, advertising etc from non-users. Earning actual revenue will enable development to be supported and advertising to be done to raise awareness among non-users.
The way to get more wealth in Hive is to get more owners. One of the great things about Hive is the low cost of entry and the opportunity to gain rewards without investing any fiat (of course, you can do that as well if you want to).
We have resources in the DHF for developing and promoting Hive and gaining an audience, without ad revenue which I would be reluctant to see for lots of reasons. Although even there, the best way of growing is word of mouth.
Build some decent applications on Hive or in crypto, and it will start the shift.
Yep - I keep thinking there are a few apps we should have that we don't seem to right now. I spent the afternoon trawling apps to see what's out there - I've found 253 so far, but only checked less than a quarter to see if they're still live and what they do. I'm definitely identifying a gap or two, so I wonder if I should learn to code enough to start doing something about that. Not sure where I'd find the time, and sadly I don't have the personal funds to pay developers !
But longer term, I think we need to find something that doesn't exist yet, that people would want enough to spur mass adoption, and that works on Web3 in a way that can't be easily imitated by Web2 companies with endless funds. I appreciate that is a VERY big ask !
You should definitely learn to code. It is so hard to find good coders who will consistently build (and then update) your projects. You can truly only rely on yourself so I think coding would be an incredible investment of your time.
For sure. There has to be more willing to come in, than extracted out like it is currently. I think this is one of the issues in crypto in general, because as I hacve said earlier, people are looking to buy themselves a better fiat life.
It’s pretty crazy that we allow them to make profits the primary focus of so many things. Well-being is completely forgotten in so many aspects of this whole thing.
Social media, food, healthcare. All of the most important parts of life (not saying social media is one.. but I think you get the picture) in the world have profits as the primary focus and the outcomes are so abysmal but yet people let it continue to operate in that paradigm. Pretty wild stuff how little people seem to care about making change happen.
Platforms like hive are definitely paving the way and years ahead of their time - the question is: when is that time to shine? 10 years, 15, 20? We are approaching 9 here on hive.. will it be 2026?
And just think, that is the main reason of having a government.
I have no idea, but the paradigm shift needs to happen if we are going to survive as a species. Leave it up to corporates and governments, and we won't survive for long.
Hi, from reddit! New here! Learning and this is an awesome post!
Welcome to Hive mate!
One of the benefits of Hive is being able to reward users for their engagement on the platform :)
There are lots of places to explore on Hive, and I hope you have fun looking around and seeing what takes your interest. There are also communities you might find that are dedicated to a topic, or if interested in crypto and finance, there is https://inleo.io/ to get into.
I think it's funny that users are just jumping from one web 2.0 platform to the other. One goes away and they find a new one, or one does something they don't like and they move to a different one expecting a different result. Perhaps one day they will learn.
The effort it takes to build into something that isn't even owned. It is like doing a full renovation on a rental apartment.
Haha, yeah, that is a good point!
Can you imagine what would happen if Hive had 10% of Facebook users?
Even 1 percent of them :)
great analysis of the situation
The irony is, of course, that the people who need to read this are on social media and not on Hive.
Yes, that is the irony - however, at least one person made it over from reddit :)
Ah, that is honestly amazing. Well done!
I use Facebook very little nowadays. I went online again yesterday, and felt a soul-crushing dread as I saw how the algorithms were trying to manipulate me into the cycle of doomscrolling and pointless arguments against echo chambers of hostility. It's toxic.
But I must still stand against government intervention and political posturing like the US TikTok sale mandate.
Yes, it is stupid and pointless for users -but it isn't for the users, is it? For all the things TikTok are accused of, the other platforms do also.
US Citizens should only be subjected to US government and corporate surveillance and propaganda! Because patriotism!
The main purpose of social media platforms is to make money. Their next move is to make more money. Even X has focused more on advertising after passing to Elon Musk.
I think decentralization will benefit the entire society.
The problem with them, is that they are tied to centralized money. That will change in time too.
I don't see such push back in my country, rather it has been increasing, particularly Tiktok, which makes people idiot.
TikTok is for the brainless.
That was a long post. But there are many things to learn and take home. Only that these social platforms have their goods and bads. Personal decision is highly recommended.
This is an average length for a post for me :)
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Aside from the fact to give an identity on social media I really dont see any good use for using Facebook, maybe content creators will disagree with me