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The "eyeball economy" is prevalent on short video platforms. It is worth reflecting on whether the content serves or the users are "tricked" by the content. The article analyzes the importance of independent thinking in this era of "entertainment to death". It is recommended for students who are interested in the eyeball economy.

I often see many people selling short video operation courses when I am browsing Douyin. Every time I see what they talk about, I am really moved.

In the past, if you wanted to teach operations courses or marketing courses, the content requirements were relatively high. You had to have solid content, information density, and a system with a certain level. After all, you are facing people who are professional in operations and marketing. If the content is not deep, you will be scolded.

Now Douyin is different. Everyone can do it, and everyone wants to do it. A large number of ordinary people have poured in, so that the content of many short video operation courses is very basic, and many of them are just selling information asymmetry. In fact, you can basically learn it for free on the official platform, but it is enough for ordinary people, and it sells very well.

Sure enough, the most powerful salesperson is the one who can find the right customer at a glance. And for marketing, as long as you find the right person, you can get payment in minutes.

Let's go back to the classes on Douyin. The teachers all talked about how to create content on Douyin, and how to make Douyin short videos eye-catching, the positioning replacement method, conflict, offense, exaggeration, strong contrast, and going against expectations, etc. The core is to make the video eye-catching and capture people's attention at first sight.

It's not just Tik Tok, it's the same on every platform, everyone is trying every possible way to grab attention, even some authoritative media are racking their brains to attract eyeballs and traffic. In the past, people always said that the eyeball economy is over, and now it's the content economy... It's impossible.

I know what they said is right, but I can't help but feel melancholy. Obviously, a very good content has to be tried very hard to attract attention. It is quite sad for those who are busy creating content.

If a salesperson sells a car and no one watches it, what about a sexy beauty selling a car? If no one watches an old man fishing outdoors, what about a cute girl wearing a JK costume? If no one watches a video of running in the park, what about naked streaking?

Of course, streaking is against the rules and laws, but many people are already streaking.

However, there are still some people whose video content is actually quite good, but they are too conventional. They just focus on creating content without thinking about eye-catching things. Although their exposure is not as good as many people whose content is not as good as theirs, they still persist silently.

I feel this very deeply, that is, do you want to sell the best product or the product that sells the best? I am afraid that those who want to make the best product have been beaten to death, and the rest are the products that claim to be the best-selling products.

Of course, I was just inspired by the short video operation courses sold on Douyin. But the reason behind this is still terrifying. The content of professional teacher training is definitely what most creators need at present, and the creators need it because current users have this demand and interest.

So, it’s not that the training courses teach you to create conflict, offense, exaggeration, strong contrast, going against expectations, etc., but this is the habit of the majority of users when using Douyin.

Demand brings market.

Nowadays, almost all content is being entertaining, informative, and lightweight. Heavy content should be presented lightly. Everyone wants to spend the least amount of energy to get the most information and emotional value. In fact, I am the same.

Today, what is more important than learning ability may be the ability to think independently and make rational judgments. More and more people's opinions seem to disappear in the torrent of information. They believe whatever they hear and see, and do what others do. It can be said that they are actively degrading their independent thinking ability.

Some people even disdain rational judgment, believing it is mediocrity and lacks personality. This is a bit too much. Personality is independent. Only those who think independently have independent personality. Without thinking, they are at most humanoid single-cell organisms.

Zbigniew Brzezinski, who was once the U.S. National Security Advisor, proposed a "nipple theory" more than 20 years ago. This guy is very bad. He believes that he can give 80% of the marginalized people a "nipple" so that they can accept the fate of being abandoned with peace of mind, thereby avoiding conflicts with the 20% of the elites.

In other words, if 80% of the marginalized people behave themselves, the 20% of the elites can rest easy. This process requires the use of warm, anesthetic, low-cost, semi-satisfying entertainment.

Brzezinski determined that there were two types of entertainment that best fulfilled this idea:

The first is venting entertainment, such as encouraging low-quality online games and short videos, engaging in endless wars of words, and opening up the pornography industry.

The second is gratifying entertainment, such as a large number of soap operas, idol dramas, reality shows and other popular audio-visual entertainment, a large number of reports on celebrity scandals, etc. This type of entertainment can make people unknowingly enjoy "sucking the nipple" and never want to leave.

Mass-produced "nipples" allow addictive entertainment and sensory stimulation products (such as the Internet, television, and short videos) to fill people's lives and divert their attention and dissatisfaction.

Under the stimulation and temptation of dopamine, people will gradually adapt to this "entertainment to death" lifestyle. One new stimulation point after another will make people focus only on the excitement in front of them, immersed in "happiness", and unknowingly lose the ability to think about real problems.

Why has the expression “pacifier joy” been popular for so long? Because people think this expression is very vivid, just like a crying child who stops crying after being stuffed with an empty pacifier.

In fact, he didn't get anything...

"Pacifier pleasure" can bring short-term relaxation and happiness, but you can't stop. After getting used to "pacifier pleasure", stopping will bring huge emptiness, anxiety and lack of confidence.

The solution is to put the nipple in your mouth and keep doing it, even watching videos at 5 a.m.

To be honest, I don’t dare let my daughter watch Douyin. It’s too scary for me.

If I see an interesting video, I will show it to her, but she has never watched TikTok on her phone, nor has she asked for the phone to play with her.

The best way, of course, is not to strictly forbid her from playing, or simply beat her up, but to cultivate more interests and hobbies for her. She will find that there are many interesting things waiting for her, and she will not have enough time to do things that make her happy. Naturally, her mind will not be full of thoughts about her mobile phone and the "wonderful" world in the mobile phone.

But for most of us adults, perhaps the only entertainment is to browse the mobile phone.

When we make demands on our children, we may have already become addicted.

Put down your phone, and you feel anxious and empty; pick up your phone and keep scrolling and having fun.

We may really have entered an age of death by entertainment!

People who always say they will lie down may not actually do so.

But nipple pleasure can make people really lie down.

That’s all for now.

Put down your phone and go out for a walk when you have nothing to do.

Author: Mumu Old Thief

Source: WeChat public account "Mumu Laozei"