Are we all just a bunch of
backscratchers? You might have heard the phrase, “I’ll scratch your back if you
scratch mine.” It is essentially saying that “I’ll help you out if I can count
on you to help me out in return.” This concept is not lost on social media. Many
social media users “feel the itch” to get as many likes/follows/endorsements as
possible. Therefore, in order to get this, avid users practice the tactic of offering
reciprocation upfront. For an everyday example, if you see something good that your
friend is eating and ask if they want a bite of whatever you’re eating, they
might decline, but ultimately they’ll feel obligated to offer you a bite of
their food in return. If you don’t believe me, test this theory and see how
well it works out. It may be wise to only try this with friend though…you can’t
just go walking around offering random people bites of your food and expect
them to offer you theirs in return. In this case, they will think you are
creepy and probably leave as quickly as possible. The same goes for social
media platforms like LinkedIn. It is not wise to endorse someone’s skill that
you barely know and expect them to return the favor. The person may not mind,
because that’s one more endorsement that they have to show for that skill, but
they are not likely to seek you out to endorse any of your skills. Instagram,
on the other hand, has a little more leeway when it comes to “follow for
follow” comments. Users who are seeking to gain a larger following will often include
a hashtag such as: “#follow4follow” which implies that the user will follow
back anyone who follows them.
It comes down to weighing the cost
of offering someone else their objective in order to receive your own objective
in return. It does not cost someone very much to simply click a button once it
is asked of them, especially if they think they will ultimately get a benefit
from it. At this point it might be helpful to do a bit of cost
analysis for different types of users for social media platforms. It comes down
to whether or not the time and effort it takes to find and contact other users
for followers/likes/endorsements (the cost) is worth less than the result of gaining
a few more followers/likes/endorsements (the benefit). For a typical user, this
may not be such a difficult decision. A celebrity, on the other hand, may have
many more options for how to fill their valuable time.
Instagress is a website used by
celebrities and brands that was created solely for Instagram automation. When
turned on, it can essentially find/like/follow other Instagramers who have
similar interests/likes to the user’s account who will like/follow the user in
return.
But when does it cross the line for
an endorsement/like/follow to no longer be considered credible? If it is all a
one-for-one and not truly based on someone’s actual skill or things people truly
like, what does the number ultimately mean for users? This process has the
potential to become more of an indication that someone is willing to put
themselves out there in order to receive the numbers rather than organically
generating a valid following. It raises the question: if those who have collected
a high number of followers or endorsements got that way sincerely by being a
well-liked and admired person, or are they’re just really good backscratchers?
Great post! I have never liked the idea of "follow4follow" because majority of the time I have zero interest in what their social media platforms consist of. For me, the only way I will follow you back is if you have something that matches my interest on your social media page (which is why I think Instagress sounds pretty cool). Another thing I hate about follow4follow is that the user is simply begging for people to like their social media page to be popular, but if you follow the right people and post good stuff, then you will become popular organically.
ReplyDeleteI think you brought up some great points in your blog post. I think that the "follow4follow" idea does bring up some concerns for whether or not the company/user is credible in their reviews. I think that the notion should reflect poorly on the accounts that use this method to increase their followers/subscribers.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post topic. I think that the "follow 4 follow" concept is damaging to the original intent of networks as they were really designed to follow people you thought posted interesting things. With people following people just for courtesy, user engagement could be damaged long-term.
ReplyDeleteI loved how you included numerous viewpoints for the different social media platforms. What I hate most is when people try to connect with you on LinkedIn for the sole purpose of getting more endorsements. I have had it happen a couple of times with people I've never even met before and it gets annoying fast. LinkedIn endorsements aren't going to get you a career because people know that often times there is little behind them.
ReplyDeleteLoved this post! Super interesting to think about. I remember being on myspace and everyone would always use #pc4pc and #f4f. It was the start of the backscratchers. Also, loved how you incorporated a visual/outside concept in order to discuss this social media phenomenon of following back/liking back/etc. It also makes me wonder if celebrities actually play any part in who they follow or if it's solely automated. Thanks for the share!
ReplyDeleteReally good post, Maddie! I think you raise so many good points here. I think we could be reaching that line you reference to in your post soon regarding both endorsements and individuals. Similar to what Megan said above, many people will try to connect for reasons other than just wanting to connect with you. Same with many other social media platforms such as Twitter or Instagram.
ReplyDeleteReally enjoyed your article! I totally agree; reciprocity is a major part of how we all use our social media platforms. It's interesting to see all the different approaches that people take, and how seriously some people take it with things like #follow4follow. I know it definitely depends on the platform as to whether or not I will follow someone back. Great read, thanks for getting me thinking!
ReplyDeleteLoved this post! When someone has a lot of followers on a social media platform, I was always curious how they gathered that big of a following. For celebrities, I think their following is publicity but for a lot of people, using platforms like instagress gets them more followers for little effort in return. The world of social media is getting so large that gaining a lot of followers and likes these days is not that difficult. I agree with your point about how its hard to know if these people are really liked or just backscratchers, however, I think that having a large number of followers and fan base is something every person on social media strives for regardless of their motives. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post! It really makes you think twice about how genuine people really are on social media. When someone comments on my photo, its like I have to return the favor of liking their post or commenting on their photo down the road. Also, I can't tell you how many times I have seen people put in their bio "Team follow back"... but why if you don't even know me? What is so important about that follow?
ReplyDelete