Is Social Media Enshittification Killing Your Content?

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Understanding enshittification in social media

​Enshittification* — the slow decline of social media platforms as they bury creators’ content and slash payouts — is here. Writers, bloggers, and content creators everywhere are watching their reach shrink and their earnings vanish.

If you’ve noticed your posts getting buried by algorithms or your payouts dropping to pennies, you’re not alone. Social media is going through enshittification, and it’s time we talk about how writers can pivot, protect their income, and take back control.

Here’s the thing.

I am not mad at this platform or any other platform that is being flushed down the crapper when it comes to ROI for creatives.

I am mad at myself.

The red flags of social media and other platforms

Somewhere along the way, the joy of sharing content for the joy of sharing got replaced with needing to have money. This was prompted by economic downturns, monetization and brand sponsorships and honestly, that is beautiful. Getting paid for our talent is possibly the best life ever.

But I depended on it too much. I expected someone else’s platform to continue to pay me. I have been writing on here four years and this year was the very first time I was able to pay my rent with monetized articles. I finally felt like I was a writer by career and not just passion alone.

That was the red flag I ignored.

Can't depend on enshittification

Before platforms offered pay for content, I was happily working my 9 to 5 and writing to build my portfolio in the hopes of building my own business. I still work(part-time), but the extra income from platforms definitely helps, especially in this sour financial climate. However, when we depend on someone else for our paycheck, they control that paycheck, thus controlling our livelihood.

I’m not advocating for every single person to become an entrepreneur because that is not for everyone, and it takes HARD work to build a business. Yet, those of us who did phenomenally well on this platform forgot why we were on here to begin with. Those who are behind the scenes of the algorithms, for sure are making more money than we are off of our content, but we are the ones feeding them.

Again.

I am more mad at myself because instead of using platforms as simply a place to share and build community(or not using them at all), I became dependent on them(and I’m sure you did too). This means your original plan to publish that book or your original plan to simply build community took a backseat, and now that platforms are going through enshittification, we are upset — and rightfully so.

Time to pivot beyond the platform

A baby has to get off the breastmilk at some point.

A baby has to learn to talk at some point.

A baby has to walk at some point — and then it can run.

It’s time to pivot.

For those of you in the business of writing or trying to break into the business of writing — ask yourself why are you here and what do you hope to get from this platform?

For those of us who put our dreams on the back burner to help build content for platforms, ask yourself: What will it take to break free and earn on your own terms?

If you are just here to share writings and care nothing for earning, then this next section is not for you.

However, if you like to pay off some bills and establish your writing career, let’s jump into some ideas I’ve been thinking about:

• Use platforms as portfolios only. Don’t worry over getting likes and reads. It’s just a repository.
• This portfolio will be seen. So be sure to include all your connections at the beginning or end of your articles: websites, social media cards, etc.
• It’s not a bad idea to go back to ol’ school methods. Telling bookstores, neighbors, friends, family etc what you do and what you offer.
• If you have a second skill(fixing bikes, tutoring, knitting, etc), and you don’t mind earning from those, then market that. Do not turn every hobby into a business, though. That would be stressful.

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Erica writes about the myths we are sold about work, success, and survival- and what's really behind them. She believes writing and literature are medicine and the cure. Sign up for more pieces like this, delivered fresh to your inbox.

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The Medium version of this story can be read here.

*Enshittification was coined by Cory Doctorow