You wanted to post, so you did. You were curious, so you browsed. You found things by accident and not because an algorithm forced you to, but rather because someone created something odd, humorous, or lovely and freely shared it. Now that sensation is fading. Capitalism has a tendency of stealthily entering areas and then completely changing them. It was never intended for social media to function as a marketplace but it has turned into one. And happiness is typically the first thing to disappear when money arrives.
Let’s look a Pinterest. What was once a digital mood board, a place to gather thoughts, ideas, and creativity, now seems more transactional. Promoted pins are all over and so are the ADs. Products are linked to. Creativity is continuously pushed in the direction of consumption.
TikTok took a similar course. What used to be a dancing app which started out as disorganized, carefree, and incredibly creative is now organized around profit. In order to increase awareness, creators are encouraged to pay. Views are now about affordable reach rather than merely resonance. Your content frequently vanishes into thin air if you don't pay. We are stuck with 200-300 views.
What was previously public has become exclusive thanks to Instagram. Even casual visibility now has a cost due to the availability of private or paid story alternatives. There is a fee for access and there are levels of intimacy. A connection turns into a subscription.
The change is perhaps most noticeable on X, which was formerly Twitter. Once indicators of public importance, verification badges can now be bought. Payment is linked to perceived validity, visibility, and prioritization. The nature of tweets has evolved. Nowadays, people don't say things just to say them. Every post is designed to maximize interaction; questions are included to elicit responses rather than out of curiosity. Metrics shape authenticity and without performance, nothing is permitted to exist.
In addition to monetizing goods, capitalism also monetizes behaviour. It instructs us to approach communication as a tactic. Having fun leads to contentment. Content turns into work. Labour must use statistics to support its claims. Nothing can be playful when everything has to be productive.
Ironically, the foundation of these platforms was creativity which included the weirdness and on those who lack professionalism, seriousness, and branding however, capitalism softens the edges. What is profitable, scalable, and repeatable gets rewarded. This leads to sameness over time. Creativity is replaced by trends and spontaneity is replaced by templates even leisure time is no longer permitted to be ineffective.
We are continuously asked to optimize, pay the appropriate amount, post at the appropriate time, use the appropriate sound, and ask the appropriate question. Exhaustion is the outcome. It's not that we're producing too much, but rather that we're calculating too much. Joy does not flourish under continual scrutiny. This explains why a lot of individuals have nostalgia for "old" social media. It was free in the purest sense, free from price tags, pressure, and continual monetization not because it was flawless.
Access is promised by capitalism, but worry is the result. Although it creates hierarchy, it promises opportunity and fun. Yet fun costs money perhaps this explains why nothing seems enjoyable these days because even enjoyment starts to feel like labour when everything has a cost.