They know it’s out of control
Social media platforms know how bad the content has gotten
AI slop and repurposed ragebait have taken over the world’s most used social platforms, that’s not breaking news. But for the first time maybe ever, it looks like the platforms themselves aren’t liking what they’re seeing. And if you haven’t given up on using social media, that’s something that should offer even just a glimmer of hope.
AI slop and repurposed ragebait
AI slop in the form of video and writing is everywhere. Open Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or any other popular social platform and it’s likely staring at you in the face. From TikTok videos reimagining The Odyssey in 1960s Vietnam, to lifeless Substack articles written in full broetry style (not enjoyable when humans do it and certainly not when AI does it), there’s no escaping the slop.
Meanwhile, platforms like X (who are experiencing plenty of slop) are also facing an additional foe: repurposed ragebait.
Whatever video angered the most people on TikTok today is recommended to just about everyone on X tomorrow. Accounts resharing these videos on the platform aren’t just satisfying the audience on X for fun, they’re monetarily incentivized to do it. Grifters have been manipulating X’s revenue sharing program from day one with the hate watch being their weapon of choice.
This isn’t unique to X, by the way. Just this week I wrote about how TikTok rewards creators for annoying you.
So that’s two of the many, many problems facing the content we’re seeing on major social platforms. And as of the last couple of weeks, we’re finally hearing some of the players acknowledge how bad it’s gotten. Not directly always (of course), but in the form of new features and program updates.
- LinkedIn is introducing a “Seems Like AI Slop” button.
- Substack has introduced a scan for AI feature in partnership with Pangram.
- X has announced an overhaul of its revenue sharing program to encourage original content.
- Snap’s Spotlight recommendations will “increasingly prioritize authentic, human-made creativity.”
I’d expect more and more announcements acknowledging how bad things have gotten in the coming months, and hopefully some of these updates start to give the grifters and sloppers some pause.
Disincentivizing the practice of sharing complete garbage on social media is a long-ass-overdue start.