Understanding Social Media: Part 2 of 2
Last month, I shared not only the pros and cons of Social Media, but also the billions of dollars (approximated) that are at stake.
Social Media Algorithms
The algorithms Social Media uses want to discover and then present things that you have a passion for. Unfortunately, there is a fine line between passion, obsession, and anger.
The algorithms analyze your online behavior and will often present the worst or most dramatic posts that are either going to touch your heart or enrage your mind.
Why do they do this?
To get you to click, to stay on the post, to look for more and similar posts. This is easy to see with political posts. They present information that may be true. It also may be false or exaggerated. They don’t care. They want the post to be emotional or inflammatory, so you stay engaged, devouring content, and spending time on their platform.
They do all of this to make money.
The more time you spend. The more ads you click. The more products you buy, the more money it puts in their pockets.
A big part of that money comes from Content Creators. Think of Facebook Reels.
How much money can a Content Creator make on Facebook? (per Google Gemini and ChatGPT)
If you have a smartphone, a passion, and a Facebook account, you can become a Content Creator. On the Meta platform, a creator can make anywhere from $0 to $50,000+ per MONTH. This depends on audience size, niche, and monetization mix (See the different revenue streams later in this article).
Rough ranges:
- New/small creator(1K-5K followers): $0–$500/mo (Up to $6K/year)
- Growing creator (5K-20K followers): $500–$2,000/mo (Up to $24K/year)
- Established niche creator (20K-100K followers): $2,000–$10,000+/mo (Up to $120K+/year)
- Top creators / strong brand deals (100K-500K followers): $10,000-$50,000+/mo (Up to $600K+/year)
You can earn a lot. Understand that for most Content Creators, they likely make at the lower range, but even the lower range can be a great part-time job, especially if it is about something you love.
But the money does not come from only one place. The numbers above are a combination of the income sources below. The more your followers click and buy from your posts and advertisements, the more you make. So when Creators say they want to hear from you, some of them are sincere, but some of them also know they will make more money the more you engage with them.
Here are most of the Facebook income sources. I’m not going into detail due to space. If interested, you’ll need to do your own research.
- Brand Sponsorships
- Paid Partnerships
- In-Stream Ads (Facebook)
- Reels Bonus
- Stars (Facebook Live)
- Subscriptions
- Affiliate Marketing
- Facebook & Instagram Shops
- Facebook Marketplace
- Selling Digital Products
- Print-on-Demand custom merchandise like T-Shirts and Mugs
- Paid Ad Campaigns
- Lead Generation Ads
- Local Business Promotion
- And more
What does this look like?
As you consume Social Media, primarily Facebook and Instagram, in this case, you will start noticing some things.
Added Opportunities
We wanted to buy a book about plants at an amazing price. We clicked on the book advertisement and started the checkout process. We were offered 20, yes 20, additional book offers that made me search for the “No Thank You” link before we were able to complete the transaction. And then it took almost 6 weeks for the book to arrive.
Facebook/Instagram Reels or General Videos
Have you noticed that some Facebook reels say something like: “The ONE food that kills your brain function…” and then they never tell you the food. Or the video lasts an hour, and at the end, they may tell you that one food, or you may need to make a purchase, or click on another link to continue. In both cases, you are spending time on their content. The more time you spend and the more clicks you make on that content, the more money they make because they are paid for how long you stay.
Long Posts
You discover a true, sad story that just tugs at your heart. You click the more link to read the rest of the story. It is quite long, but a beautiful story.
It takes 2-3 minutes to read, but it was worth it.
Unfortunately, the story is:
- Not likely true
- Possibly AI-generated.
When you read a post for 2 minutes or more, they get more money. AI can crank these stories out in about 30 seconds. There are quick and easy ways to post them on Social Media.
An exercise I find interesting is to copy the entire story and paste it into any of the AI engines and ask it if the story is AI-generated. It will not tell you YES or NO, but it will say likely or unlikely, AI-generated, and why.
You can choose to read these sob stories if you enjoy them, just understand they may not be true, and someone is making money off of your time.
False / Misleading / Exaggerated Information
I watched a FB Reel about dementia. They had a product to sell, and that product had conclusive scientific proof and studies showing that this product can improve memory, sleep, gut health, and more.
ChatGPT found these studies for me with links to them. There are about six studies. Each study had anywhere from 24 to 109 participants. Each study lasted from 90 minutes to 16 weeks, and they showed either no improvement or a modest one.
In other words, the studies were:
- Too short.
- Too few subjects.
- No or modest improvement.
- Not repeated to confirm findings.
In short, the ad did not lie, but it greatly exaggerated the results for the product's benefit.
The cost for one bottle was $56 for 60 tablets, but for a short time only, you could buy one and get three free. In my opinion, this indicates an overpriced and questionable product.
Conclusion
I go back to my original love/hate relationship with Social Media.
There are thousands of honest, caring Content Creators who just want to get the word out about a passion of theirs. However, they are overshadowed by just as many groups looking to make a quick buck and are willing to lie or deceive in some way.
For the last couple of years, if I find something on Social Media that I am interested in, I now verify the claims, information, and, if a product, the price from a source outside of the Social Media platform. About half the time, the information is a lie or exaggeration.
My final point in all this is Social Media wants you angry and engaged so they can make more money. You want community, information, and solutions. DO NOT assume the information presented by Social Media is accurate. VERIFY it before getting worked up about it. Social Media is not your friend.