Social media: The numbers game.

Ping… ping… ping… ping… PING!!! The sound of yet another notification. You’ve ignored the first few pings but now you’re intrigued. You reach over without thinking, your fingers itching to view the cause behind the sound. Is it a like? A comment? A share? Is it good? Bad? Soo many thoughts and only one way to find out: grab, unlock, view.

Although this may not be the case for you, it’s becoming a trigger for many. It’s an addiction that is getting worse by the day. A sickness. We have become the slaves to technology and technology is only just getting started. With users in the BILLIONS, it’s fair to say that we probably use at least one of the main platforms. It’s a place we check all the time: for leisure, information, updates, and more. It’s become part of our daily regime in the same way that we check our emails, bank balance and missed calls…

Have we fallen victim to the social space we once used as an escape?

There was a time that Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and Facebook were places for non-serious interaction and sharing memories. It was a way to keep up to date despite distance. It was a place to engage with those you knew without having to step foot outside. It was a platform that showed a different side to you and conveniently, it was free. Where once upon a time it was an innocent platform for likes, jokes, sharing, and connecting, it has now become a monetary hub for advertisers, cooperations, and image.

A new reality

Do you ever reflect on the days before socials? I do, and I’m grateful for the experience because the kids of today won’t know what it was like to go out with £1 and play on the street with friends (and ten points if you can actually make £1 go anywhere these days). It’s not the same for the current generation. Now toddlers and babies have access to devices and can open YouTube before they say their first word (I’ve seen it first hand!). All jokes aside its scary stuff.

It’s not that I’m against technology or socials… In fact, I think it’s very handy! Besides, you wouldn’t be reading this if it wasn’t for socials and technology and I wouldn’t be able to reach so many countries around the world either! There are certainly benefits, but as things evolve, there are different agendas and different goals. Back in ‘08 we were tweeting what we wanted, posting up our unfiltered pictures, and laughing at things that are way too offensive today (since we’re being honest). Today, we have to mind what we say, what we post, and who we follow because the internet lives forever and there are repercussions. The scariest part about socials is you never know who’s watching.

Whilst I don’t condemn bullying, offence, rudeness, and all the things well-brought-up people know not to do, even the innocent of people can have their past used against them and can affect their livelihood. This summer alone we saw a peak in cancel culture and with so many eyes on one person, and with many being so far removed from the individual, it’s not long before things can turn nasty. I honestly feel for celebrities since anything can be used for headlines, numbers and likes… and that’s the real crux of the issue: Numbers have become a currency.

The truth is, we weren’t built for socials on these levels… with everyone so into your business and receipts on-demand, social media was never supposed to consume us how it has. I recently watched a documentary on Netflix called “The Social Dilemma” which discussed the side they didn’t predict - you should really check it out if you can. They interviewed the developers behind the socials and their thoughts on today’s issues, and well… go watch for yourself!

LIKES = MONEY

You know the saying; “nothing in this life is free”? They’re right. Whenever you don’t have to pay for the content, just know that YOU are the content: Your ideas, information, habits, content, time… it’s all money. Social media is the only place where you can be both the consumer AND the product. Deep it.

“Yes, yes Liz I already know…” I know you do, but I also know you don’t deep it enough. We’re not completely stupid… we know that our phone mics are on and are listening for marketing so that they can suggest products that are tailored to you (that’s why you see ads for things you’ve recently talked about, even if you never searched for it), they can watch you through your phones, TVs, Laptops (though, they’d get very bored watching me). Even Alexa’s can be used as evidence in courts… I could go on but it’s just something we know about, but we either push it to the back of our minds or get used to it.

It may not be deep for most but it’s making someone billions. All that information, all that data, all that money! Che Ching! It also means serious money for anyone who can work the socials in their favour but it isn’t easy. You either get attention by throwing people under the bus, (The ShadeRoom, tabloids, gossip pages, etc), or by being popular. ADs and sponsorship make the money, and once you’ve got the audience (us), you charge what you want to promote.

The way the socials are these days (especially Instagram of recent), the platforms have ultimate control of content. With the new algorithms on insta and TikTok etc fucking up the base, it means that sometimes your post isn’t shared with your followers or it’s shown days later. URGH!

What you need to realise is the system isn’t made for you. It wants to whittle out the users that are of no monetary use and promote the ones that are - even if you’re not following them. You may find yourself seeing more posts from strangers than you do your friends because of this. It’s marketing.

Stuck in the cycle

Blurred out: The additions of today…

Every time the algorithms change you have to find a way to ‘play the game’ to get some engagement. Though it may piss you off, it keeps you addicted as you spend longer online and find yourself submitting to the algorithms. It’s jarring… You have to pay attention to what time and day to post, what trend to use, how to get more likes, more saves - (because saves are the new cheat code on insta), monitor your engagement and your followers’ usage… and it can all be a little off-putting! For something that’s supposed to be fun and light-hearted, you end up scrolling for hours on end, isolating from the world, and negatively affecting your mental health.

Let’s say one day we have enough. We don’t want to consume rubbish, we’re tired of the system, we’ve become unproductive… and we also hate people now, so whatever. We say we’ve had enough and we’re deleting the app but we come back, we forgive, and get sucked into the cycle again because it’s a part of our life.

Even if you wanted to jump off, it’s hard to function when life has become so dependent on it. We get the news first on socials (who even needs reporters at this point? TMZ have all the insiders), TV, live streams, and the President of the United States (though he’s a twat) tweets his official statements for goodness sake! Imagine watching the news and they’re reading out tweets as official statements? You might as well skip the middle man and stay on since it’s where we get updated the quickest. Besides, in times like these, the socials have kept us going through these COVID-19 times.

Ok, maybe you CAN live without socials. You hold the app and get ready to delete… but wait! You run a business online. You might as well forget it! When you have something you’re trying to push you need all the help you can get. Socials are the best way of promoting, selling, and sharing information. It forms your advertising, sells your products, and is a great place for networking. Without it, you suffer. Now you have to make a decision: Isolate from the online world or stick with it. Sometimes it seems like there’s no way out.

Popularity

It’s very simple. The more popular you are, the bigger the reach. The more you’re on the app, the better the engagement. The more visible you are, the more supported you’ll be. I’m simplifying but it’s the reality. If you’ve got a large platform, whatever you post will get love and those with the most likes, shares, saves, and reposts are usually favoured more. It’s just the way the cookie crumbles!

This pushes people to spend more time online, become more creative and be present. It’s all about timing so you need to be prepared. Things move quickly on the internet and whatever is popping today won’t be popping tomorrow so you have to be quick if you want recognition. You need Munya’s work rate if you really want to succeed (I’m not even hating about that one - check him out). He is the definition of “preparation meets opportunity.”

If you can get your numbers right, it can potentially launch a successful career. Before you get into building your following, just know that it’s a toxic industry fulled with fake image, opinions, and fake news. In the race for attention, we are seeing less organic growth, less truth, and less shame. You’d be surprised how far people are willing to go for likes and attention! Most lifestyles aren’t even real… even happiness is a facade. In the rat-race we call the numbers game, it’s become a race of who is the richest, the most exclusive, has the best life, body, relationship…

If you’re serious about building up your following you have to put in the work. Don’t think that these influencers have it easy! They are constantly monitoring their audience, consistent with their posts, networking and collabing. They are original with their content and time things to perfection. Things won’t always be successful and the opinions of others may get you down, but you just have to get your head down, take from your feed what you need and turn it into something consumable.

Who are you? What do you want to be known for? Are your actions reflecting your vision? The early stages are hard, especially if you’re not known or liked, but this is where you have to let your content do the talking! Forget them and focus on the business that minds you and remain true to yourself.

For those on socials for fun… remember that many people are hiring cars, clothes, posting empty designer bags, taking pics at private jet SETS… need I go on? It’s all for the numbers. Sometimes we need to remove ourselves so we can stay in touch with reality. It’s only after things go wrong that the facade comes down and the truth comes to light. All of this for what? Validity? Popularity? Clout? Clout will have someone blasting their L’s all over socials and doing up storytime. * Nella Rose Voice * “Are you not embarrazzd? This is really embarrazzin!” Clout is killing my people and it’s sad to see.

Boosting engagement

In the bid to beat the algorithms (good luck), people have become smarter with their advertising. You may have seen loads of giveaways and competitions floating about on Insta and Twitter in recent weeks. The one that stood out was the Molly Mae giveaway. She’s an influencer who went on Love Island for those who don’t know, and since coming off the show she’s just been in her bag!

One day, she announced that she had spent £8k on a giveaway, including LV bags, apple products, her self-tanner (a year’s supply), and beauty products to celebrate hitting 1 Million subs on Youtube and the internet went MAD! Everyone and their dogs entered the giveaway (and if you didn’t enter do you think you’re better than us?). To enter, you had to like the post, tag a friend, subscribe to her YouTube page, follow her tanning brand on Insta and as a bonus, share on your page.

This is where the numbers get real interesting!

As a result, she got over 2 MILLION likes, gained over half a million followers on her insta and company page, her YouTube went up to 1.32 million followers and she was trending for days. Now if we break down the numbers, not even 2 followers would be worth 1p and with a higher engagement, more shares, and loads of traffic, she would have increased her fees and had a return of THOUSANDS in promo. For an £8k investment, that’s a massive return and to try and pay for those sorts of following would have broken the bank. I can only stan her and her ridiculous business move. Touché Mollie-Mae!

Obviously, she started with a massive following so her engagement was always going to be high, but it doesn’t stop others from taking note. Since then, there have been more competitions and raffles which have helped boost engagement and following. It’s died down now, but had you jumped on the hype at the time, you would have seen an increase on your page! Over on Twitter, a trend of “no likes” was taking over. Companies told users to quote tweet and get “no likes or RT’s” and in return, successful accounts would win freebies.

Ultimately, it’s all in a bid to increase following and consumption. If you can jump onto a hype when it’s popping and it’s relevant to your brand, it’s just fun, harmless, and free advertising which brings in money.

In a way the “no like” competition was bittersweet. Whilst it was encouraging people to get no engagement - a change from all the conditioning we know - it also proved that people did engage when they wanted to and that we are our own enemies of progress. Yes, it was just a joke, but it shows how much people are willing to jeopardise the success of others when they have nothing to gain and also proves that they could have always engaged with your tweets. Knowing this could make people obsess over numbers… Instead, clock why people are online in the first place and use it to boost visibility.

How can we break the cycle?

Healthy detoxes and curated feeds

It’s so easy to say “why don’t we just jump off socials?” but it’s simply not feasible. In jumping off socials you disengage with info, but you also miss out on relevant information too. It can be hard to find a healthy middle ground but if you can implement a solution and stick to it, it can be beneficial and rewarding.

Unless you have a personal assistant and a team who can take care of your internet life and update you on relevant things, a total removal from socials isn’t the answer. What we need to be doing is using them smarter and more efficiently. Instead of aimlessly scrolling, posting and interacting, start setting time limits and manage your day better.

Put 👏🏽 The 👏🏽 Phone 👏🏽 Down 👏🏽 And 👏🏽 Live 👏🏽 In 👏🏽 The 👏🏽 Real 👏🏽 World 👏🏽

Be honest. How many hours do you spend on your phone? Check the stats on your phone if you’re in denial. Truth is we spend way too much time with nothing to show for it. Before you know it, the day has passed and you can’t do things for yourself. Recognise your distractions and eliminate them where possible.

Do notifications trigger your attachment? Do you need to delete apps from your phone? Do you need to get an app to limit your usage? Give the phone to someone else? If you know deep down that this is necessary, then you already have a problem.

Socials are designed to keep you locked in for as long as possible. Remember, it’s a numbers game and you’re playing the part. Find discipline and stop letting it rule you and your life. The internet will be there tomorrow, next year and forever. The more we consume, the longer we want to stay on. There will always be gossip, opinions, topics… don’t get sucked in.

Comparison is the thief of joy yet we seek joy by comparison.

Remember, if social media isn’t paying you, don’t let it consume your life. Even if it is paying you, it’s important to remain focused. Curate your timeline if you have to. YOU are in charge of the content you consume. If someone pisses you off, remove them. If you are always seeing drama, change your following. If you want a more peaceful and positive life, follow the people who ignite that in you. Comparison is the thief of joy, yet we seek joy by comparison. When will we learn that we are fighting a losing battle? You’re competing with things that aren’t real in an attempt to get you to spend more, invest in more and follow the crowd.

I saw a tweet from someone who said they’re going to charge their phone every 48 hours and turn off notifications. When the phone dies, it dies. Life is for living. I think it’s a brilliant idea. In a world where we have instant access to people and things, we also expect instant response so when we don’t get that, it triggers us. It’s not normal to expect someone to be glued to their phone. Life must be lived and everything is good in moderation.

This is only the beginning. As things evolve, we will be forced to conform. Regain your sense of reality now so that you’re in better control later. Turn off notifications if you can. Set yourself dedicated social media hours. Reduce your screen time and be more productive in real life. In a world where money is the driving force, the numbers will always be in favour of the coin. Don’t let the numbers swindle you of happiness.

Liz x