Sunday, July 28, 2024
When you think about it, every social media platform does have a few things in common: they make it easy to spend too much time on them. They are sometimes (always?) a substitute for other screen time, such as TV, and sometimes (hopefully not always) a substitute for real-world interaction. And they are in the business of selling advertisements based on a knowledge of our preferences, demographics, and psychographics.
But there is also a difference between the platforms, and that is in WHY we use one over the other.
Facebook is for peeping Toms, and TikTok is for crackheads.
Yes, you read that right.
Facebook allows people to stalk our friends, friends of friends, and sometimes anyone, and those who are stalked have no idea that you are spying on them. Facebook could have added functionality to show who has looked at your profile, much as LinkedIn has done, but they have explicitly decided not to. Why? The reason there is no visibility for peeping Toms is that Facebook is afraid that people will stop using the platform, directly affecting their revenue. (Unfortunately, this policy has increased online bullying, suicides, and enables identity theft.)
The counter-argument to the “yes-stalker” argument is that Facebook is a place to connect. We use the tool to remain connected to far-away family and friends. And given that there isn’t anything nefarious about that, why would people have any problem sharing that they “dropped in” to their profile. Organizations who are doing due diligence on a prospective new hire also feel this way.
TikTok is one of the most addictive social media platforms, primarily because it has two things going for it: each video is super-short, and each video watched allows the platform to refine their profile of you. This means that within an hour of watching TikToks, the platform is able to target precisely the content you crave, keep you engaged with more of this content, and thereby increase ad revenues.
While the term “TikTok Crackhead” might have negative consequences, perhaps a better term would have been “TikTok Marathon Runner.” (But that wouldn’t be as interesting an article headline…)
Unlike Facebook, TikTok itself does not sell itself as a platform for connection, but rather as a platform for engagement. Yes, both are commercial interests, but the way that they handle privacy and trust are vastly different: As addicting as TikTok may be, there is no element of stalking or peeping tom-ism on the platform. That is, unless you count the platform itself.
This week’s action plan:
What can you learn from the major platforms that are applicable to you? Certainly the importance of transparency. But also perhaps, a thought about how we use these platforms ourselves: is it right to check out other’s profiles without letting them know? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. This week, resolve that question for yourself, and decide if this means a change in your behavior. (And a quick question: what are your LinkedIn settings – do you let people know that you looked at their profiles?)
Marketing Insight:
If your organization has it’s own social media platform, do you allow people to see who has looked at their profile? Not only does it improve accountability, it is also an interesting source of potential leads.
Trust Insight:
Buried deep within the Facebook settings, users can see what Facebook knows about them. And the same with Google. While most people have no idea how to access this information, at least it is available. If TikTok wanted to be more transparent, they would provide this, too.
Related post: Viewpoint: Will Facebook Take Over The World?, Identifying and Reducing Facebook Risks
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