Game Mechanics of Social Media
We are within a game. In fact, we are all playing. The character is yourself. The game is multiplayer - a billion players concurrently. You gain real-world XP viz money and status. There are real-world repercussions too viz. lose status, lose your face, lose money, etc. Gains, however, are infinite.
If you're a pro-level content creator on any of the social media platforms: Reddit, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc - you know it's all a game.
In Instagram's case
Beginners are lurkers. Mid-level players post regularly and maintain their personal narratives online. Pro-level players try to hack the algorithm, do reels, repurposing content, roll out content series, do collabs with other creators, etc.
By the way, this game has real-world consequences (aka your XP spills over into offline interactions too). Both your worlds have to merge, an active presence in both worlds is necessary. Businesses realized it a while back and coined the term O2O (Online-To-Offline) model - eg. Lenskart, etc.
Traditional credentials don't matter as much here. Each post is a lottery ticket. Each content piece has a conversion rate - over time you may land the jackpot (in this case: a connection to a VC, a dream job, a solid network).
The game is basically a series of button presses on your phone keypad or laptop keyboard. The right pattern presses can unlock a jackpot and change your world. The current pandemic and people finding life-saving leads on Twitter is no less an example of the same.
Why is all this a game? Because it literally works like a slot machine; you put in your money (content creation), pull down the lever (post it), and see the results (likes, comments, and shares). It’s a real-time feedback loop and we’re all a deeply integral part of it. There are random rewards (grow your network, retweets, mentions) and it’s a game one can get better at over a period of time. The best part, it’s a meta-game; the experience and rewards you earn via the social media game translate into the real-life status and career rewards in the form of networks and connections.
Who's playing at a GOD level?
Elon Musk puts on a show using stunning visuals and powerful symbols that connect with people emotionally. Be it SpaceX, Cybertruck, or his appearance on SNL. He's played this game to become the 3rd richest human on this planet. Society says blue pill, he says red pill. He gives society something they're not seeing anywhere else. Once you see his creations, you can never unsee them - that's what makes his gameplay so enticing.
The most recent of his public spectacles being 'The Musk Effect' as termed by his followers where a series of tweets took the Meme-based Cryptocurrency Dogecoin to crazy rises. Every time Musk tweets something related to the cryptocurrency, it’s value surges and has sometimes increased by 100%+. This level of influence that Elon Musk possesses is at an unprecedented level. Elon is playing at one level, whereas you and I are playing at a different level.
We're all playing. Everyone from myself to Tanmay Bhat to CarryMinati to Logan Paul to Casey Neistat are playing. This is their full-time workplace.
How do YOU get started?
Step #0: Realize that you are already playing. Might as well get better at it. Learn the code and play by it. Create.
This is a long-term game. Play it like you are going to be in this forever - because you will.
Don't burn bridges. Choose wealth over temporary wins. Help people, that gets you XP - like in other online multiplayer games.
Ask yourself what you are curious about? Join a community with like-minded folks. The social pull of the community will take you places.
Build allies. Increase your network size, which increases your risk surface area and the probability of winning the lottery jackpot.
The author Abhinav Arora is the Co-Founder & Chief Marketing Officer of Avalon Meta, an online skill learning app.
