If I were to write my theory on social platforms and the rise and fall of organic reach, this would be my op-ed because, admittedly, I don't know the answer; it's my experience with social media that leads me to what I've concluded.
Last week I read through a document outlining what appeared to be the exact protocol LinkedIn has taken to evaluate content as it's shared to their platform, to quote the author, "LinkedIn's algorithm is brutal," and to be fair, I can't argue with that statement, but what I found interesting is the level of detail included in the evaluation process. How LinkedIn's going to start by only sharing your content with a tiny fraction of your connections, and based on their response, will it decide if what you have to say is worthy of sharing with even more of your connections?
There were so many steps listed, and to the extent of detail, they seemed out of place, triggering my response (which I meant as tasteful) of, "Did LinkedIn write this somewhere? How do you know?" The author didn't answer, but luckily for me, I wasn't the only one asking, and as it turns out, "no, LinkedIn" did not tell him that; it was just his educated guess based on experience.
Do I believe LinkedIn and all social platforms make you, the creator or user jump through hoops to have your content seen?
Yes, yes, I do.
But do they make you do this so they can filter out unrelated content?
No, no, I don't.
These social platforms do this to keep their users on the platform longer than usual, to keep us engaged, to keep us distracted chasing vanity metrics, to keep us afraid of missing out, and most importantly, to increase the value of their premium programs.
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It's as if, somewhere along the line, the social media platforms all got together at some kind of social media summit to discuss the problem they had all created for themselves.
"Shit, organic content is free; what can we do to fix it?"
You used to pull hundreds of likes and thousands of impressions, and now you barely pull a fraction of those, even after spending decades building relationships and connections on their platform.
I'm not sure what will happen next, as I've undoubtedly seen my engagement plummet, but one thing it's opened my eyes to is taking ownership of my content. I've spent more time on my YouTube channel, on my website, on building out my virtual training, and on this...my newsletter.
The irony of all of this is the social aspect. I have to believe that social media was created to bring us together, and I still think it does. But for some, it's a money grab; I get it. Still, I'm not sure LinkedIn, Instagram, or these other social media platforms do. Hopefully, one day, there will come a time when people start to leave, not because they're defiant but because there's a better alternative.
So, in the meantime, I'll take my thirty likes and 1,500 impressions over their "pay to play" persuasion tactics or their desire to keep me engaged longer because I'm not interested.
After all, I've got clients to serve and a life to live, and in case you haven't heard me say this enough, social media is not a real place.
It's supposed to work for us, not the other way around.
Thanks for reading,
Derek
Also, this was definitely too long, but if you're still here, please don't tell anyone.
