Ah, social media! You either love it or are starting to despise it a little by now. For me, I have to love it because it's my day job; I'm a community manager. I write to customers on social media platforms, answering their questions, discussing topics, you know, all that jazz. Throughout my time in this industry, I've noticed that each social media guru will have at least one or two favourite platforms that they can't live without. If I were being asked, it would be, Instagram. Photography is awesome. So... when my friend started talking to me about Mithril and the app that it has created, I started to perk up a bit.
Mithril, if you don't know yet, is coining itself as a decentralised social media platform/network that rewards content creators; just like Steemit. However, this platform (for the moment!) is geared towards photography and video content via their new app. They will be adding other features to this ecosystem in the future. But with their first instalment, The Lit app, they decided to start with a Snapchat-like concept, in which your content disappears after 24 hours. But the fun thing, the more likes you get, and the more you interact, the more MITH you receive. After the photo/video disappears, a little sign pops up informing you how many MITH tokens have been credited to your account. Et voilà, you are now a hodler.
Before I get to the positives, I do have a couple of little critiques that I will mention first.
- The tokens are stuck on the app -
You can't move them out or even transfer MITH from an exchange to the app. The admins have said via their Telegram account that they will be adding this in the near future. So this point really isn't such a negative one, just a minor hindrance. - Trying to find my friends on there has been a lost cause -
This might be an iOS glitch but for the life of me, I tried searching for my friend a few hundred times and he is nowhere to be found. Just out of curiosity, has this happened to anyone else? Anyway, I've been saying 'Woosaaah' as to not let it bother me. Why, you may ask? Because this is a new app. It will evolve. The devs will improve it, therefore, I'm not fussed. Now I know, some of you trigger happy individuals out there are quick to run and give negative 1 starred reviews for such a thing but why? Just relax, say woosaaah with me and let's grow a fun community instead. - People do post some less than pleasing images-
I've come across blurred shots, super close-ups of odd little trinkets, unsavoury food shots, etc. Some images, I stop and stare at, pondering, why on earth would someone post such a capture? Like I saw someone taking a close-up of an ATM number pad, another one taking an image of a blurred ice cube in a glass, a half drunk Fanta bottle, a wooden floor, blurry stairs and so on. But again, I think that when more people join, the content will improve. As of right now however, they are posting as many images as they can, not really caring whether their content will be appealing to the masses. Their thought is, 'The more I post, the more MITH I get.' But what they are failing to see is, people will always flock to the images that are aesthetically pleasing. And besides, a little composition never hurt anyone.
When I first started using the Lit app, I was a little bummed out by the fact that I couldn't upload my personal images onto the platform. But then I stopped and really thought about it. Could this be a blessing in disguise?
Our social media lives are fake AF aren't they? I mean I look at my Instagram account and think to myself, who are you trying to kid?! Then I look at my friends accounts, and friends of friends and dear baby Jesus, don't get me started on the celebrities! The point is, we upload touched-up, altered, warped impressions of what our lives are like. I would, for once in my life, like to be a part of something that is real. Real, unaltered images. Maybe it's the nostalgia in me that's coming out. From a time of only being able to develop rolls of 24 or 36 frames. Who knows. Anyhow, The Mithril team are saying that they will be adding the feature of being able to upload images in the future, but I really want to plead with them and say why?! Leave it as it is. Who's with me? (Probably no one 😫)
Isn't the whole point of blockchain and decentralisation a way of improving our society? Well, why can't we improve our society by sending out real images of our lives? Maybe little boys and girls will stop hating themselves a little bit less, maybe people will stop drooling over a smokescreen and mirror filled lifestyle? Am I going slightly overboard? Well, maybe. But I have grown to love the shitty pics that people post of the randomest things on Lit. It's real, raw, untouched life. So if the big man himself ever reads this (which I highly doubt) please don't change that aspect of it! Alas, somehow I fear that if they want "influencers" and the social media elite to hop on board the Lit train, then being able to upload your fancy schmancy images will be a must. It just would have been nice to see a different kind of social media platform start to take shape. One in which we start to look at our world in a different way and not hide behind a facade of tricker and illusion. Oh well, a girl can dream...
Anyway, I slightly digressed... The positives! Yes! I see a real potential in Mithril as a whole ecosystem of sorts. The Lit app is easy to use, and for me, has become slightly addictive. Yes, there are some glitches, but that is normal for anything that is just starting out. And let's not forget, being able to post content and get paid for it, is a big plus. Hello... that's one of the reasons why we like Steemit, right?
All in all, I am now starting to remember why I loved taking photos/videos in the first place. It's made me want to participate more. On Instagram, my photography is all filtered, edited images of landscapes, Urbanscapes and such. I'll be lucky if I can be bothered to edit an image and post one every two weeks. With Lit, I am looking at my surroundings and seeing the unaltered beauty of everyday life. Under normal circumstances, I usually would be saying, man I need to use snapseed or VSCO or this needs to be tweaked by adding a sun flare, etc. I've missed looking at things and not giving a crap about how pretty I can make the image. Maaaann, I was so obsessed with needing to have the right stylised photo on Instagram. Ok, I'll be honest, I probably will still be doing that, it's just refreshing to feel like I don't have to.
All in all, I'm a fan of Lit, even in it's early stages. And I'm also excited to see how Mithril will evolve as a whole. But of course, you be the judge of it yourselves. I'm just one lady merely giving my point of view on the matter.
Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some less than pleasing images to capture...
*And don't forget, as with everything in the cryptosphere, do your own damn research! 😉