I didn't intend a 30 page dissertation thread on my own musings, but if you've made it this far, I'd love to hear your thoughts, opinions and resources/discussions of this topic.
#geebusthisthread #sociology #marketing #socialmedia #hashtag

So how do we reframe, remix, and free ourselves from the megaliths we crave and can't live without?
What does a balanced digital 3rd space look like? What's next and what are our demands and expectations?

And so, why am I still on and using certain platforms and products even though I curse their name daily? Because that's what dominates. I'm in a field and space where I have to work within many platforms and I have watched them grow to a breaking point on the back end. Everyone is a hostage.

Especially when the business model grows and profits from expanding into a multitude of products that we "can't live without"?
Often, it's a money grab and the expansion isn't sustainable because rinse and repeat gets old and support becomes stretched thin.

However in the land of the "free" and the ever growing subscription based saas, and the "social dilemma" that if you're not paying for the product, you are the product, what will it take to shift the landscape of social media and how to sustain the business model.

What about a tiered system? $75 a month for no ads, $20 for non targeted ads, and free for giving up your data and being marketed?

I don't mind being advertised gardening products, but my "online advertising profile" is "soccer mom" . No I don't want products for moms or kids. Sell me some freaking Crocs, not a minivan. More effective advertising for businesses and more positive sentiment and feeling of control for users.

I once pitched a biz idea of an advertising network where the user selects what data sets they are willing to share and for the opt in, advertisers pay the user directly to target with ads. Google surveys are a similar format.

We hand our information over and get frustrated at being marketed to, however, what is the alternative? I wish we could find a way to control our own data and the advertising/data value of it.
Drop the algorithms that optimize consumption over interests.

Who wants to pay for a space to connect with strangers and friends? How does one raise above the noise without paying? How much do we value privacy and not being the product? Where do we draw the boundaries? Value the people and cost to run our ideal space?

And the elephant in the room of capitalist society? The digital space runs off of 3 things: your info, your time & attention, or your money.
Where are we willing to make concessions? Feeds bloated by ads or sponsored content to pay servers and employees?

So where does social media go from here? What are our expectations? Do we come here to chat, learn, listen, share? Do we look for friends or topics? Are we personal or topical? Local or global? Connecting or observing?
What is the next iteration of social media and what do we really want?

And then the camera icon app filled the visual picture space with a touch of easy creativity. But slowly it became an information app, commercialized and diluted. Instead of posts, algorithms and competitors shifted from posts to snaps and videos with a limited timespan.

And then the blue bird app was great for conversations, randomness and breaking news. But you had to be active and know the nuance of the platform.

I've heard many complaints about the book-of-faces feed being filled with junk, ads, and crap no one wants to see. But, how often do you post content there? Can't see much of friends' posts when most aren't posting anymore.