Is this the end to creative flair and the ability to think outside of the box to deliver premium content?
TikTok and other social media platforms have introduced the ability to buy views.
No ad to show here.
Yes, that’s right TikTok allows businesses and some users the ability to pay for views.
These range from 1,000 to around 16 000 views.
@dlkaye #greenscreen Be honest, how many of you influencers PAY tiktok to boost your views? #fyp #promote #famous ♬ original sound – D Lana
What does this mean?
Say you post a video and would like more people to see your video. Then buying an additional number of views would propel you to social media prominence.
That makes sense for business.
What’s the catch
It’s the decline of creativity and authenticity. Videos will not gain more views on merit or creative expertise but will be overtaken by standard poor creativity videos which most likely were paid for by the user with a larger budget.
TikTok business account offers a wide range of options to make sure your content gets the necessary eyeballs to deem you relevant.
The danger is in the overall impact
Purchasing pageviews likes, and reach on social media can have several negative consequences, contributing to the loss of creativity.
Buying engagement creates artificial metrics that not not reflect genuine interest. This is a big deal as it can mislead content creators, advertisers, and the audience into thinking that a piece of content is more popular than it is.
The beginning of the end
Purchased reach and likes do not represent authentic connections with the audience and this means a disconnection between content creators and their audience.
The idea for purchased reach will most likely encourage content creators to prioritize quantity over quality. The focus will be to gain artificial popularity, as opposed to expressing genuine creativity or meeting audience needs.
The lie comes when the audience, and advertisers think a piece of content is more popular or valuable than it is.
There will be a loss of creativity as content creators will shift from meeting their audiences’ creative needs.
Genuine content will likely be devalued as artificial metrics will most likely flood social media platforms, and this will mean high-quality content will be overshadowed.
This will translate into content creator efforts being overshadowed and overlooked in favor of content with inflated metrics.
The overall picture
Social media users and followers will become aware of the prevalence of purchased engagement, which will mean fewer people will trust social media. Once followers realize that brands or a public figure are buying views, this can impact the content creator’s credibility and authenticity.
The conclusion
The ability to pay for social media page views and other metrics undermines the very essence of social media as a platform for genuine connection and creative expression.
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