Explaining the Social Media Rat Race

Social media began as a place to share art, ideas, and updates with our family and friends. Over time, it quickly expanded into sharing with other networks. Eventually, social media transformed into many things including ecommerce platforms and vital influencer tools. What we now know as social media is dead. Social media has transformed into the newest and largest rat race of this era.

The Social Media Revolution

Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and more sell you products. They also sell your data. When you sign up to be a free user of these sites, the price isn't actually free. You're signing up to sell your data to these platforms. Armed with user data, modern social platforms can better market to you in order to sell you more stuff (that you really don't need if we're being honest). The term 'social media' is quite disingenuous when used to describe what are really now e-commerce and sales sites.

Long gone are the days of sharing art and our personal lives with friends and family. A new dawn has arisen. Online social spaces are now places for influencers and salespeople. While there's nothing wrong with influencers and salespeople, it's important that these platforms are transparent with their users about what they've become as a business.

A Brief History of Social Media and its Evolution through the Years

Society now revolves around social media. We receive our news, friend and family updates, media, and entertainment from these platforms. Thus, there is a necessity for society to further engage on social media. Twenty years ago when television ads and billboards dominated ad revenue, a major shift took place. The internet became more and more popular, and with it so did social media. Ad revenue and sales started to become more prevalent and effective on the internet. Slowly over the last fifteen years, our economy has shifted from a brick-and-mortar model to an e-commerce model.

Social media is no exception. Once advertisers and businesses realized how easily they could utilize social media to sell products, ads, and data, they jumped at the opportunity to line their pockets. Before Instagram became what it is now, there were no ads. It was a space for artists to share photography and art. Content was of no consequence. Instagram existed solely as a social platform for people to share how and when they pleased.

Now, you can't scroll down for two seconds before you see an ad. Ads are integrated into every part of the app. Facebook, TikTok, and many other social media companies also utilize ads to push product and service sales. Targeted ads are used by the data these companies collect on your internet utilization. Thus, these companies can better persuade you to buy just by getting your data when you sign up to use the platform for free.

Social Media Today

Social media clearly has morphed into a multi-billion dollar industry. Those of us who have refused the traditional nine to five career roles used to find becoming a content creator or influencer appealing. Working your own hours, making your own content, on your own time sounds incredible. The ability to elude businesses who utilize poor-business practices in becoming your own boss through content creation on free platforms became the modern American dream.

However, social media is so oversaturated with influencers, content creators, and self-described hustlers that it's almost impossible for the average person to monetize without compromising our boundaries. Millions of people are competing for likes, comments, and follows. Influencing requires a specific, developed skillset. With so many people competing for the attention of users, it's difficult to gain a foothold into the market for the average person.

What is the Social Media Rat Race?

The rat race in the social media space is apparent. The definition of rat race from Oxford Languages reads, 'a way of life in which people are caught up in a fiercely competitive struggle for wealth or power.' Social media now dominates many aspects of our modern lives. It is so engrained that not using social media can often hinder creators in the ability to financially support themselves and in their growth as an artist. People are also turning to social media to supplement income because capitalism has become so burdensome to daily living.

Contrary to popular belief, quality content creation requires a lot of time, effort, and resources. Not just anyone can be successful as an influencer or content creator. Good content is created with developed skills, several pieces of equipment, editing software, time, and dedication. When someone does work hard and gets lucky, they spend each day obsessing over the creation of content. Life is no longer something to live, but something to be morphed, curated, and monetized. This can lead to overwhelm, burnout, and even anxiety or depression. Only individuals with very strong boundaries can bring a sense of balance to a social media content creator or influencer lifestyle.

How is the Rat Race affecting us?

The social media rat race catches up to all of us who use social media at some point or another. As creators, we experience burnout, overwhelm, and anxiety about content production and distribution. This is to be expected, especially when social media is so critical to our ability to support our families as creators. Even as users only of these sites (people who don't post or create content), we experience an unnatural bombardment of ads, underhanded sales tactics, and personal privacy breach. Not to mention, anytime a social media platform updates its algorithm, a creator may lose a significant portion of their following. In other words, everything social media content creators build, including their wealth, can be lost in an instant.

Additionally, influencer culture perpetuated by these platforms harms everyone who uses them. Now that content is less organic and more curated, many of us have an unrealistic expectation of real life. The message utilized in order to sell to users is that we aren't enough. Our lives are not enough.

In Conclusion...

All in all, creators and influencers seem to be embracing the new iteration of the rat race. The latest competition for wealth and power is well on its way. Social media platforms will continue to be disingenuous as long as its users don't speak up, or quit all together. Hustle culture continues to flourish when the ideology perpetuated in the rat race environment is that normal people just 'aren't working hard enough'.

Overall, the social media rat race is harming our society. Artists of all kinds continue to be devalued by the failings of capitalism and the dishonesty of corporations who dominate the creator space and take advantage of its users.

This leaves many creators answering just one question - are you a rat?

This post was inspired by a conversation about rat races in society with intercultural and organizational communication transformationalist, Evelyn Bako.