Likes, Lies, and Livelihood: The New Age of Social Media Earning

I would never have believed that social media would become a place where one can earn for whatever they do online, and if such had been told to me some years back, I would not have agreed with that. But seeing how everything we do online today has been monetized, it has been a blessing really.

Not anymore would one still struggle to get out of their homes to seek their daily bread or the common slang, "urgent 2k." Many people now choose to work from home, in the comfort of their zones, and make money easily and steadily. Many times, the income outweighs most of the 9-5 jobs out there, which is the reason many people resort to earning online rather than offline.

I'm also blessed and lucky to be in an era where I could earn for what I do online like writing, singing, even taking random pictures and saying a few words as a caption and I get paid. I have been on numerous social media platforms in the past, where I got to earn just by taking pictures and posting them. It was so easy that a lot of people would think I didn't have work to do when I took pictures around. Little did they know I was making money while they were living in ignorance.

But beyond personal gains, monetization on social media has taken another turn where people just post different things, both relevant and irrelevant ones, and still make money. That's their aim. At least they would say, "Anything goes as long as you make money."

I was speaking with someone recently about how some bloggers post fake news all in the bid to gain traffic on their posts, which generates income for them. And I wonder, "Should that be so? Must you post fake stuff just because you want to earn?" But sadly, no matter what we say, those who would still do it will continue as long as it fetches money.

There was a platform I joined years ago, and I noticed a user who would post pictures and stuff which I knew most of them were not his own and he would earn. Other times, I felt like talking to him, but I couldn't, thinking it was none of my business and if the system caught him, fine.

Fortunately, he was caught abusing the system with such activity and was banned. That was how he ruined such an advantage for himself to make some daily income.

People don't realise the consequences of what they do until they ruin everything by themselves because of their selfish interests and lack of consideration for other people.

There’s something destructive about the mindset that encourages quick rewards over lasting impact. I wonder what many of them think, posting fake news just because they wanted more viewers knowing the more people view, the more they earn. But one thing about such behaviour is that it doesn't last, and before they know it, they have blocked their means of livelihood, only to start again.

Most times, it's always hard to bounce back. Some would be scared to start again, knowing how much they had invested in such a project. But didn't they think or consider these before taking such steps? But no, their cravings for immediate gratification have blinded them from seeing the long-term reward they could enjoy forever and still maintain and protect their reputation.

Every work we do leads back to our reputation, but not everyone wants to understand this because they want to make quick money that won't even last.

I wouldn't say social media monetization is the worst thing that has happened to us, but rather that people have turned it into something else due to their greedy nature. Human beings would always want more, strive for more, and achieve more. But the difference between the good and bad ones is how we go to make it possible.

A lot of people believe in dropping fake news because, to them, that is what the world wants. And they find it pleasing to deceive the world by posting such content.

I have many times clicked on the wrong content just because the topic looks interesting or catchy and that's clickbait. They know once people see a curious title, they rush to open it, but then they see that everything in there is garbage and that's very bad.

These content creators only need the traffic to keep the flow of money coming in and do not mind how it affects viewers who want something good to feed their eyes on. But that shouldn't be.

In the end, monetising social media is a good thing and yes, the best that has happened because it has provided ways for us to earn and live a good life, as long as we are ready to do the work. But what matters is how we do them. What matters is doing it the right way.

Even if there would be clickbait, the content inside should be worth reading and knowledgeable. If there is a controversial topic to discuss, let it be authentic and one you have gathered information on/about. No matter what, everyone will definitely earn and be good.

Protecting who we are and what we represent should be the main focus, not just what we can gain quickly and then ruin a lifetime opportunity.

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