The Internet is Weird: A Primer to The Meta Game
“Our mission is to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together.” -Facebook
- 4.3 Billion
- 3.2 Billion
- 1 Billion
These are the rough Daily Active User numbers of Google, Meta, and TikTok at the time of this post.
They represent the largest networks of people on earth and have the power to entertain, teach and connect at unprecedented scale.
But unlike our physical world, the experience for two people on any of these platforms is never quite the same.
Trackers from these platforms hide in the shadows of most apps and websites, watching every click, view, and conversion that policy and law will allow. The information is fed back into algorithms that act as a mirror to the soul and desire of each person, until every search result, every post, and every video view represents a reflection of a person's innermost yearning and interest – giving these same platforms equal power to isolate, enrage, shame, and depress in the name of engagement.
And the reflection is not always pretty.
The platforms that inspire, delight, and connect also give rise to QAnon, Flat Earthers, Chemtrails, Pizzagate, The Proud Boys, and Incels. They have the power to incite riots, overthrow governments and swing elections.
The stranger communities and content of Reddit, 4chan, Snapchat, Twitch, Twitter, Discord and more are at best weird, and at worst, nightmare fuel.
A keen understanding of this is enough to make us consider how we contribute to our world, and move us to either stick our heads into the sand or act in a way that is not complicit.
But as those who are in charge of selling and growing our products, knowing how to tap deep into the psychology of these networks gives us unprecedented reach and influence.
And while success in the former is hard to define, the latter is easy to measure.
Which is why in this blog, we will not be giving you advice on how to be more aspirational or ethical brands. Instead, we are going to teach you how to be the mirror.
Welcome to The Meta Game.
Read next: The First Principles of Ads: How to be Creative (Eg when you have no idea what you’re doing)