Social media monetization turned out to be a game changer in this digital age, and I’m not in the right position to judge if the impact has been positive or negative over the years. I remember very clearly that the early days of several social media apps were only about chatting, uploading pictures, and a few other simple things, but as time passed, things took a different turn. Social media now offers more than just fun; it eventually became an avenue for people to promote their businesses, and monetization popped up in the blink of an eye.
Looking around today, a lot of people pull in huge cash from different social media apps, and it’s changing so many lives for the better. Creators have successfully turned their skills, humor, and insights into loads of cash, which is a blessing outside the 9-5 setup.
Platforms like TikTok and YouTube have produced tons of influencers with different niches over the years, and a lot of times, I feel like social media is a blessing when I reflect on some influencers’ journeys.
Khaby Lame is one of those people I admire, even though I barely watch his content. Seeing him grow his fan base without uttering a word in his videos is fantastic, and his journey clearly shows what social media is capable of doing. Aside from earning millions, Khaby Lame has become a hub of connections to celebrities across the world, and it makes me happy seeing how he’s using those privileges to support people globally.
There are millions of content creators out there with monetized accounts, and it’s awesome to see so many thriving despite the competition in that space. However, we can’t ignore the evil and terrible things people do to earn through social media.
Just a few days ago, my wife was scrolling on TikTok and called my attention to a video, which I think was recorded during a livestream TikTok match. There’s this big influencer who brings girls up for a match, and to voluntarily lose or gift them something, he challenges them to do awful things like exposing their bodies. I watched in disbelief and wondered if these girls don’t have families, because they’re not just bringing shame to themselves but to their loved ones too.
It’s not just happening on TikTok. I’ve clicked on YouTube videos with educational descriptions, only to find completely different content when I hit play. X isn’t excluded either—some influencers post lies and nonsense just to draw people in for engagement. There are those who even go as far as defaming other celebrities for attention, and some can’t shoot a 30-second skit without throwing in explicit scenes just to get noticed. It annoys me why they can’t just get creative instead of posting garbage or dragging down people who are trying to make a name for themselves.
While social media monetization has genuinely changed lives for the better, there are loads of atrocities being committed across different platforms, so there’s both good and bad in this whole monetization thing. We really can’t condemn it because of how much it’s helped millions of people around the world.
Away from all that, one thing that bothers me about social media is how we promote rubbish while quality content creators struggle. I know it’s not easy succeeding as an influencer, but don’t you think promoting the right people would indirectly do us a lot of good?
I don’t want to mention names, but there are influencers out there uplifting people and changing lives, while others are just a nuisance, influencing society negatively—and yet, they still get the support to flourish in the social space.
I’ve seen so much garbage performed by people we’ve made famous, and I think we really need to shift our focus to creators with quality content, those with innovation and insight that can help society. Our engagement and support for content creators or influencers should definitely be a form of investment. We need to zero in on people with the potential to influence society positively.
As users of different platforms, we have a collective responsibility to shape or should I say reshape the ecosystem by interacting with content that aligns with solid values. If we keep promoting nonsense, that’s what we’ll keep getting, so the choice is ours to make.
All Image Are Mine.