what really causes you to reach out to your phone first thing in the morning? Most of the times is about checking notifications you missed from several platforms while you were sleeping. How many of us have spent hours scrolling through feeds with no purpose? But as time went on, I began to ask myself: Is this actually where I want to be expelling my energy? Can I make my online presence more meaningful? Social media has indeed changed the way we connect to people, learn from others, and share about ourselves.
However, it is equally easy to slip back into endless scrolling, passivity of consumption, or just frenziness of the shallow trend. I know because I used to experience those myself, spending hours on platforms that did not add any value, maybe except a few "likes" here and there. After some time, it felt empty. I think a lot changed and I saw a great difference upon my discovery of social blockchain platforms which opened my eyes to new ways I could profit my online engagement.
Hive is a blockchain-based, decentralized ecosystem where users are incentivized for their contributions. Unlike typical social media platforms where engagement and time usually go to the benefit of the stakeholders, Hive shares the reward directly with its users. Its "Layer 2" apps support a multitude of creative and social projects and allow users to meaningfully become part of the active community. Imagine a social network where your posts and interactions generate value, not just to the platform, but real value for you and the community. Are we not moving in the right direction here?
For Hive, its operations may not be the same at mainstream platforms but i think in many ways, Hive, makes users see the essence of decentralised systems as opposed to centralised systems by traditional social media. They simply connect a large number of people all over the world but at the same time has many downsides-from the endless streams of notifications, ads for users who only get the least if the benefit. There also remains an extremely grave risk of misinformation, distorting perceptions of things through echo chambers.
We all know these problems are there, but do we ever stop to ask ourselves: Am I part of the problem? Well, Hive became a means for me to have a change of environment and profit. Be it every post that I write or interact with, because it is valuable on Hive, which means my time is worthy too. Instead of just selling our attention, Hive gives us an opportunity to benefit with its reward system. This can give the user a commanding role in what they create and share, consume in social media.
Every post matters, comments matter, interaction matters, hence using Hive gives users meaningful engagement and value in a way, that the concept of social media will not be for just entertainment purposes but for personal growth, education, and connection. Before we use any kind of gadget to explore social media platform, it's important to ask these questions: Is the platform adding value to our lives? Are we being intentional with our time online? In what ways can we create, engage in, and utilize the platform for our greater good. Social media can be a powerful force for good, but it does depend on how we choose to use it.