There seems to be a growing number of social media platforms that are ready to grab their share of the market with an addictive format that has users glued to doom-scrolling, which is continuously scrolling and engaging with content. Buzzfeed is considered the pioneer of digital media and the company that initiated this trend. The company is said to be developing a new social media platform, intended to be a counter-tech platform focusing on creativity and connection.
BuzzFeed intends to move away from the addictive doom-scrolling by working on a new social platform that is focused on building connection and creativity
BuzzFeed is one of the first major digital media companies to master social media engagement and has expanded itself in varied domains. Since then, many social media platforms have established and majorly dominated the market, such as TikTok and Instagram, due to most users relying on the tools and simply feeling too hooked on their format. Well, this is about to change, as BuzzFeed has announced a new initiative that seems to be a response to the ongoing state of social media focused on unhealthy habits like doom scrolling.
The new social media platform that BuzzFeed is adamant about bringing is focused on creativity and authenticity. It also intends to get rid of the addictive algorithm by finding new ways for users to collaborate and create stuff together. The Founder and CEO of BuzzFeed, Jonah Peretti, strongly believes that the current focus of social media has become engagement at all costs. She presented the content as being driven by not positive but rather negative emotions. Peretti said:
For years, major social platforms have abandoned their responsibility to content and culture, instead handing over control to deep learning algorithms that optimize for one thing: engagement at all costs. The result is a digital world dominated by what I call SNARF — content that thrives on Stakes, Novelty, Anger, Retention and Fear.
Jonah Peretti further highlights how her vision with this direction is not only to introduce a competitor, but also to reshape how social media is used and bring it back to its old glory, where the focus was on making genuine connections and creative expression. By taking this initiative, the company is taking matters to revive the platform and have user agency as the dominant force with emphasis placed on self-expression and joyful experiences, as well as moving away from algorithm-driven feeds would sound refreshing.
However, how users would respond to this initiative has yet to be seen. While the idea sounds great, the big question is whether users will be able to move away from doom scrolling, especially when they have gotten so far in it.
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