Hi guys, I hope your week went well! I hope you liked my last post it was a lot of fun to create. Today I wanted to talk to you about user-generated content. We are learning about this in class, and I'm finding it very interesting.
From the article What is User-Generated Content by Tricia Christensen, the definition of User-generated content (UGC) is "material on websites, and occasionally other media sources, that is produced by the users of the website." Apps like TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and even this blog you're reading right now are all user-based platforms.
TikTok is a great example of user-generated content. On TikTok, one of the goals is to create a following; the more content you put out, the more interactions you have on your page, making you a "Content Creator." You can find a content creator for anything you can imagine, from farming content to building cars content; there is always something to watch. TikTok can be a dangerous platform; all of its content is short and fast-paced, making it easy for someone to "doom Scroll." Doomscrolling is when someone is on a platform for a long time and watching the content. Tiktok can also be personalized to what you like to watch or what you have favored. This platform takes all your liked and favorited videos and creates a customized page for you.
Let's take a look at these two profiles. Both of these profiles I follow on TikTok. What drew them to me was the aesthetic they both have and the fact that I have similar interests in the content they post. The one above is a girl who has created her own business through TikTok. She has a penpal mailing club, where she sends out cute stickers and fun little craft ideas to her following. In her Bio, she says that she is a crafty girl; this is a good marketing strategy because people who are similar to her will follow this account because they have something in common.
Now, if we look at the profile below, she is also a content creator but a little different. She makes videos about her outfits and what she does throughout her day. Her page is more of vlog-style content rather than trying to sell us something. Both of these are great examples of content creators and how the platform can be used.
TikTok is a unique platform full of content for everyone. The question is when does it gets to be too much.
If we take a look at another platform like Instagram, it's a whole different ballpark. This app is used to post videos and photos. This app has helped so many creators find their platform in the early 2000s. Instagram is a very fun app to use, in my opinion. It's a way to tell your friends what you've been up to in a fun way. It also allows you to follow your favorite celebrities and content creators. Although this app can be great, there is a very toxic and dark side. Instagram can create a false representation of someone's life. What I mean by this is people create the ideal world in their eyes using Instagram, whether they are posting about a trip, bar, or with friends. I also think it's a very toxic place for people to pull inspiration from, especially women. We are constantly seeing the "ideal body types," and we compare ourselves to each other, creating a horrible mindset. But then there's the side of Instagram that is wonderful, finding like-minded content, and allows people to have a voice on the app to talk about the world or anything on their mind.
Both of these apps are excellent examples of user-generated content. Social media has gained immense popularity among our generation (Gen Z). I am worried about the potential evolution of social media in the future and how much technology will change. Will it all be user-generated content, or will it be fully controlled by the website?
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