Think Tank

Be wary of traffic business hijacking public topics

2024-11-08   

How to divide the 8 Swiss test papers? "In recent days, multiple entries related to Swiss test papers have flooded the hot search. It turned out that a woman published a video on the Internet that "eating Swiss roll was scolded by her husband". The content of "Swiss roll test", "Swiss roll consumption downgrade" and so on exploded, and people who were inexplicably "surrounded" began to roast, "What can we do about this topic". In recent years, public topics on hot search lists have become increasingly entertaining and low-quality. Celebrities have lost weight and gained weight, what they wear, and even "ate a few chickens and eggs during their confinement period". It seems that any brainless content can be "dug up and down". Just like the "Swiss roll video" mentioned above, it has been able to generate multiple hot topics, triggering the whole network to ride on hot topics and play memes, and even giving rise to discussions such as "whether to get married" and "gender equality". Stir frying like this makes one wonder, is it meaningful to use the attention of the entire internet to focus on gossip and trivial matters? In the era of social media, attention is a very scarce resource. For many netizens, the hot search rankings of various platforms can be seen as filters for news and information. However, if the rankings are filled with various bad memes, the truly valuable news and sharp voices will inevitably be more difficult to stand out from the crowd. This is not only a waste of public resources, but over time, it will also compress the space for rationality and dull people's intelligence. As some scholars have warned, "hyping up boring topics can lead to misunderstandings and misinterpretations of information in society. A large number of online public topics have fallen into the quagmire of vulgarity, boredom, and even difficulty in distinguishing truth from falsehood, fundamentally due to the influence of traffic business. Throughout the internet, the more emotionally charged the topic, the more extreme the viewpoint, the more melodramatic the plot, and the more opposing the characters, it seems to have more traffic. In the era of "eyeball economy", from advertising revenue sharing to advertising placement and live streaming sales, traffic can be monetized. Driven by interests, a group of self media and marketing accounts rushed forward, taking advantage of whatever is hot, and even resorting to false rumors and fake photos. The trend of "artificial hot search" is heading towards assembly line production. Some bloggers, netizens, and even the media who want to get a share of the pie have also been dragged in, acting as amplifiers for boring topics. Platforms that focus on user activity are even more pleased to see its success, turning a blind eye. If it's a loop, the more people follow and participate in hot searches, the more it's like handing over all the power of "agenda setting" to traffic. As a product of social media, the hot search list cannot be expected to be filled with "serious news". However, when the traffic logic prevails and some trivial matters are infinitely magnified, creating unnecessary emotional anxiety, conflicts, and confrontations, it must be taken seriously. In the current communication landscape, the scope of "media" is constantly expanding, and with communication comes responsibility. Those unconventional social media platforms cannot always use commercial logic as a shield and exploit human weaknesses to make a fortune. This business is not only unethical, but also unsustainable. No matter how times change and media forms change, high-quality content with ideas and value is indispensable to a society. Who will be harmed in the end if there is too much content about chicken feathers and dog blood? (New Society)

Edit:Luo yu Responsible editor:Zhou shu

Source:Beijing Daily

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