Social media is one of those tools of this generation that many cannot do without.
The first thing many people do when they wake up is to check their WhatsApp, insta, twitter etc. it is also the last thing they do just before sleeping.
Inbetween waking up and sleeping again, many hours are also devoted to social media.
People have been in this cycle for many years before the possibility of earning from it began to gain popularity. This lead many to consider maximising the usage of the various social media so as to be able to put food on their table.
Since making money on social media is usually directly proportional to the amount of followers, likes, comments, etc that a user gets, it now made a lot of people especially the lazy and opportunistic ones to begin to cook up fake news with catchy headlines. Some others specialise in bringing controversial topics and sensitive topics which lead to a lot of comments and engagements.
Some of these topics are on sensitive political or religious matters that could lead to far reaching consequences which the poster would have no idea about or simply don't care about.
Now is this monetisation aspect a good thing or bad thing?
Well I believe it's advantageous to have an additional means of income especially one that you can do from the comfort of your home. What I believe should be incorporated is a system of checks and punishment for people who abuse the media.
There should be punishment for fake news, click baits and whatever type of content that the platform is against. By so doing, those who are more interested in financial gain without considering the authenticity or relevance of their post would have a rethink or be punished.
The monetisation aspect has helped to encourage a lot of people to bring necessary information to the public making it a win win situation.
Not only does the creator and the public enjoy, the platform also grows and more creators are attracted.
Monetisation is important for everyone.
Without monetisation, the platform generates a lot of income from users without ever rewarding them.
But with it, there's some compensation or reward for contributions to the growth of the platform.
It is also important to note that most platforms underpay content creators which is what usually drives even the hard working content creators to occasionally attempt other styles that could yield more income or benefit less stressful.
It would be helpful if the various platforms, try to ensure that the creators are adequately rewarded for their contribution. This would go a long way in ensuring that only quality content is being produced.
That way creators know that there is no reward for low quality articles, fake news, controversial posts or even click baits leading to more productivity and quality.
Having a site that's filled with fake news can be so annoying and I have personally had to leave some platforms for that singular reason. I also know the importance of having accurate information handy and so I appreciate platforms that discourage fake news whilst promoting timely information dissemination.
All images are mine
