TeaGooey-something Melbourneian Harrison Pavlak could do worse than build a TikTok audience through “random acts of kindness.”
He is not one to take risky pranks on the streets or provoke angry confrontations. He does not promote fake cryptocurrency schemes, cancer cures or conspiracy theories. rather than He films the reactions of strangers Make her do chores like pay for their groceries or hand them flowers.
Still, the controversy generated by his most successful video of all time (nearly 65 million views) underscores the problematic ethic of “feel-good” content—both for creators and consumers.
In this 19-second video, Pavlak tells an elderly woman in a food hall to place a bouquet of flowers on her jacket. Then he wishes her a lovely day and leaves. “I hope this made her day better,” the caption read. It didn’t.
Melbourne woman Mari has since become aware of the viral video. spoken About feeling protected and exploited. Pawluk has to offer pardon Kind of, but said he won’t stop making videos like these:
I know my true intentions and I know that, if I can inspire even 1% of the people who see my content to go out there and do something good, I’ve done something that I think is good for the world. good for.
This defense would have worked better if Pawluck wasn’t monetizing his videos. The fact that there is a market for this kind of material, however, raises questions. How can content really be philanthropic with so many business factors at play?
What is eudaimonic media?
From placing life-affirming signs at malls to hugging strangers, giving copious amounts of cash to homeless people and rescuing stray animals, “kind acts” have proven a popular video genre on social media channels. .
In media studies we call these videos “eudaimonic media“- from the Ancient Greek word “eudaimonia”. It is often translated as meaning “happiness”, but the philosopher Aristotle used it highest human good – To living a life of virtue,
Unlike hedonistic media – content that is about personal satisfaction and pleasure – eudaimonic media is meant to make us reflect on the purpose, potential, virtues and meaning of life.
feel-good feel-bud
With all the attention given to social media’s ability to promote “engagement” through sensationalism, polarization, and attuning to people’s worst feelings, the market for eudaimonic content is huge.
a survey of Over 777 million Facebook posts For example, in 2019, the “love” emoji accounted for nearly half of all video reactions in 2018 (compared to the “angry” emoji 4.5%).
Facebook’s most viewed video of that year. with more than 361 million viewsJay Shetty, a Hindu monk turned life coach/influencer delivering an inspirational speech to school students (scored with touching piano music).
All Up Shetty Reportedly earned US$1 million Facebook ad revenue in 2018 — certainly something to inspire Pawluck and his partners.
Show me eudaimonia!
Studies indicate that eudaimonic media can be a “moral motivator”, motivating motivational social behavior.
But there is an obvious ethical problem when content creators have high hedonistic motivations – Fame and fortune – To make “feel-good” videos. With that pressure, “acts of kindness” can become demonstrative, even exploitative.
Part of any Social Media Influencer’s Strategy a form of performance, Undoubted. But with a “eudiamonic” content creator, it’s hard to reconcile virtuous action with fictional scenarios where the people being filmed are being used as a means.
we are all responsible
It would be easy to focus on Pawluck and his fellow content creators, but that’s part of the bigger systemic problem with social media: It’s often antisocial, even superficially, to be promiscuous.
The bottom line with the entire social media business model is that attracting, amplifying, and manipulating emotion is a surefire way to increase engagement and monetize content.
This is where we all, as social media users, have the power to contribute to the higher well-being. We need to be smarter about the type of content that people like Pawluck encourage through our clicks and comments.
Watching that video might make us feel good for a moment, but did the content creator really do well? Are they clear about their financial motivations? Have they sought permission from their unknown subjects?
As Mari noted after inadvertently becoming the star of the latest commercially inspired social media trend:
I feel like clickbait.
Consider the impact of your next hit of a feel good video of a rescued dog or give away money or food to those less fortunate. Is this a eudaimonic or money making moment?
Senior Lecturer in Journalism at Sunshine Coast University
This article is republished from Conversation Under Creative Commons license. read the original article,