How did we get here?

Social media used to be for socializing. At least, that's what I thought for quite a long time. When I first made Facebook and MySpace accounts (yep), I did it to connect with people in a way I couldn't in real life. I used it to maintain relationships and, in some cases, form new ones. That's what social media has always been about ... or has it?

Because the longer I think about it, the more I realize what social media really did for me back in those early days. Not long after I started making friends and gaining a following, I started using these platforms more and more to promote my blog. And then my YouTube channel. And then, years later, my articles and professional portfolio. My podcasts. My newsletters.

Because what very quickly became apparent to me, as a social media user, was that people were much more interested in the things I made than they were in me.

And now social media is barely about socializing at all. Everyone wants a brand deal, a book deal, a chance at fame and fortune and status. Everyone. Don't lie to me and say that's not why you're here. Anyone on the internet, if they're at the right place at the right time, can have that chance to become something bigger than their posts.

We got here because this is where things like this always go. This is capitalism. This is everyone realizing that instead of making virtual friends, they can make virtual money (and then turn it into real money). It was always going to end up this way. And this may explain why you don't feel like social media is good for you anymore. Because it sstopped being about socializing and started being about money, at every single angle.