What do people really want to earn from Social media?

The internet has grown into a cesspool of information that we spend a lot of time-consuming. Billions of people worldwide are glued to their smartphones and computers streaming, liking, viewing and reading different forms of information for various reasons. The reasons could be for information, entertainment, edutainment, and numerous other reasons. So where does this information come from? Other humans, of course.

The information posted on the internet, social media to be precise, has transformed from the hobbyist "just for fun" idea to fullscale businesses that employ statistical and social models to reach out to consumers of the information. So in essence, the internet, due to its irresistible appeal, has become a marketplace where people sell information.

Even though some have found a way to monetise the internet, others prefer to use it as a journal or open diary if you may and share their lives and stories with others. People in this category don't prioritise financial rewards and only share information because they want to make new friends, meet new people, share experiences with like-minded people, and interact with people.

The dynamics of the internet/social media has also made it a lot easier for people to "meet" in this virtual world. So much so that a lot of people view reality as a virtual society and only identify with their internet friends as real people. Despite the perils that lurk in the form of catfish scams and other vices, there are still genuine people on the internet, and people find love, friendships and partners in Internet land.

In a bid to further understand people's view of social media, I threw out a question on my Whatsapp and a poll on my Twitter yesterday about what people want to "earn" from social media. I gave two options that I believe captures the entirety of social media activities, which are Money(Rewards) and Attention(engagement), and unsurprisingly, a large percentage went with "Money" due to the apparent reason. However, the minority seem to see the bigger picture.

While a lot of people genuinely want to "make money" from their social media content, not a lot of them are willing to go the extra length to do it. So they end unknowingly becoming consumers and pay those who see the bigger picture with the real internet currency, which is ATTENTION.

There are different definitions of money but for the context of the internet, let's say it is the payment you receive for offering a service. In this case, the service is information, and how you package your information determines how much attention you will receive in return.

So different people want different things from the internet and to achieve your target, it requires picking an approach that suits you and your goal. Whether you're a hobbyist, businessman, looking for friends or all of the above, you have to devise a strategy that helps you achieve this target.

I've also found that there isn't any timeframe or yardstick to reaching this target. You have to work within your "budget" and do things in a way that sits well with your principles and views.