Motivation (blog post 4)
It is a hard and slightly daunting task to answer any sort of question about human motivation. This example is not different from any other, as there are a set of multifaceted reasons as to why people stay on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. And then further, why they engage and enjoy these platforms so much. Through the help of Clay Shirky’s book, “Cognitive Surplus,” we get a better look at some of these motivations.
The first, and truest reason for the creation of social media is for social interaction and connection. Social media platforms are online communities or spaces that allow users to connect with friends, family, coworkers, and acquaintances, while also opening the door to make new friends, etc. Through these public, online communities’ people can share funny pictures or videos, life updates for long-distance family, or day-to-day thoughts and opinions. Shirky refers, in his book, to free/downtime that individuals have as that cognitive surplus. Social media platforms are the outlets that offer a way or ability for individuals to feel like they are utilizing this surplus of time through engaging and sharing online content.
Secondly, the most motivating, in my opinion, is the endless entertainment and vast content consumption that social media platforms provide. They act or serve as not only tools for connectedness but also sources of entertainment It is uncommon for individuals to only obtain one media platform or outlet on their phones, and with that users have an unlimited pool of videos (short and long form), trends, memes, even news.
Another motivational factor, that has seen a more recent surge, for being active on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok is personal branding/ promotion and self-expression. As I mentioned, media accounts allow people to share personal experiences, their newest achievements, hobbies, and relationships. In the Cognitive Surplus, Shirky mentions how the motivation that is present in this example is the utilization of free time to curate a person’s true, or ideal identity online.
When looking at different aspects of one's life that media platforms have replaced, it is the accumulation of information and current news. This is large scale like world news, trends, and weather, to friendly or family-sharing news. Online platforms, especially those who a larger diversification of users like Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook, have become breeding grounds for online debates, opinion sharing, and true or fabricated current events.
And lastly, something that serves as a driving factor for parents to give in to their young children who HAVE to have a ‘fill in the blank’ social media account because this certain friend or crush has it too. The fear of missing out or FOMO is very prevalent now, due to social media. This FOMO on the newest trends or drama will drive individuals to download and become active users on these accounts, as well as allocate their free or surplus time towards staying up to date on the latest social media activities. Something else that plays into this, and also individuals becoming active on social media at a young age is social comparison. And that’s not to say that only teenagers compare the way they look, where they live, how they dress, or what they eat, to one another. I do it, adults do it, and famous people do it too. It is unavoidable to see certain content online and not compare yourself and your life to that who posted it. And even with this openly not feeling good, people continue to spend copious amounts of time on the applications.
From my experiences, as well as the knowledge that I gained from the book and various class discussions, thus far, while there are different motives and motivations for individuals how obtain and manage information, there are three kinds: personal, social, or informational. Personal motivations would look like that of self-expression online, connecting with others who share similar interests, whereas social motivations are to better your status or engage with social causes or movements. Then there is the informative aspect that focuses on users sharing information online that could better them in one way or another- controlling or creating a partially false narrative of their online image and life. Through these various sharing and information control techniques, we can see the different levels of motivation for engaging with a media platform, staying loyal to it, and allowing it to replace a natural aspect of your life.
Book Citation: Shirky, Clay. Cognitive Surplus: How Technology Makes Consumers into Collaborators. Penguin Group, 2011.
