Crowdfunding Facebook Posts?

[Xerographica]

There you are on Facebook scrolling through your feed. In one post, your friend Sarah writes that she donated her kidney to your mutual friend Samantha. There's a heartwarming picture attached to the post. Are you going to click the "Like" button? Of course. Will Samantha click the "Like" button? Of course! But doesn't simply clicking the "Like" button seem woefully inadequate?

What if you had the option to spend your money on Sarah's post? Let's say that you spent $3 dollars on Sarah's post. Facebook would take a reasonable cut (5%?) and give the rest to Sarah. How much money would Samantha be willing to spend on Sarah's post? How much money would the crowd be willing to spend on Sarah's post? How much money would Sarah make for donating her kidney to Samantha? Right now it's illegal to sell your kidney. But shouldn't donating your kidney be profitable?

If posts were crowdfunded then you would be able to see and know exactly how much money had been spent on a post. In other words, you would know the value of each and every post on your feed. This would give you the ability to filter out posts that were less valuable than $1 dollar... or $10 dollars... or $100 dollars.

To be sure, trying to figure out how much money to spend on a post would definitely be far more mentally taxing than deciding whether you like a post. But this is exactly why the amount of money spent on a post would be a far more trustworthy indication of its importance. People actually had to use their brains! They had to seriously consider the trade-offs.

Clicking the "Like" button on a post is superficial feedback. There's absolutely no cost/sacrifice. Spending money on a post is substantial feedback. There certainly is a cost/sacrifice.

When the feedback is superficial... then faking it is costless. When the feedback is substantial... then faking it is costly.

The question is... do you want to know what people really think about your posts? I'm guessing that, for most of you, the answer is "NO!!!!" Most people really like to delude themselves into believing that their posts are far more valuable than they truly are. The problem with this delusional mentality is that it results in society suffering from a severe shortage of genuinely beneficial behavior.

If you believe that your photos are exceptionally good... you can share them on Facebook and lots of people might be happy to "Like" them. After all, it doesn't cost them anything to do so. If they don't truly enjoy your photos, then clicking the "Like" button is just a little white lie that can help strengthen the bonds of friendship.

But if you take your photos to the flea market...

Entrepreneurship is the optimal medium for empirically demonstrating the value of an idea. If you really want to know what an idea is worth, if you really want to know how useful it is, take that idea and engage reality with it. Attempt to create value for others, attempt to solve problems within the context of an accountability structure rooted in profit and loss… When you ask people for money in exchange for something you do, you’re going to get more honest feedback than ever before. - T.K. Coleman

Let me add a bit of balance to my post by sharing this video... Michael Sandel: The Moral Limits of Markets. Let me add a bit more balance by sharing this paper by Uri Gneezy... When and Why Incentives (Don't) Work to Modify Behavior.

Ok, so I'm generally not a big fan of public displays of affection (PDA). Could crowdfunding posts be considered PDA? Or is it more like public displays of gratitude (PDG)? Or maybe public displays of nurturing (PDN)? What percentage of the posts on your Facebook feed would you be truly willing to nurture with your money? Would you be willing to monetarily nurture a post about your bff's engagement? Her wedding? Her first baby? Her promotion? Her divorce?

My guess is that once people were more honest with each other then there would be some serious social reshuffling. Superficial friendships would be replaced with substantial friendships. What's your guess?

[Galloism]

$0.

I don't want her to incur fees and a tax liability. If i want to give her a gift for donating a kidney, I'll give a gift. I'm not going to make her incur a tax liability and a transaction fee for it.

[Xerographica]

$0.

I don't want her to incur fees and a tax liability. If i want to give her a gift for donating a kidney, I'll give a gift. I'm not going to make her incur a tax liability and a transaction fee for it.

What if there weren't any fees or tax liability?

[The Blaatschapen]

$0

Why would I want to give money to my friends in order so that they please tell me what's going on in their lives.

I might as well buy gossip magazines then. Even if the people in there are uglier and the news more idiotic and less relevant.

[Cetacea]

but who said likes aren't viable currency? maybe there just needs to develop a market in Likes and an ability to redeem them for social validation of personal worth

[Galloism]

$0.

I don't want her to incur fees and a tax liability. If i want to give her a gift for donating a kidney, I'll give a gift. I'm not going to make her incur a tax liability and a transaction fee for it.

What if there weren't any fees or tax liability?

Then you're just asking if I would send a gift electronically. Which, sure, possibly, if I was going to give a gift, but it has nothing to do with the value of her post, and is entirely based on unrelated factors.

Ergo, your interpretation of the post as valuable is approximately as accurate as this:

[Great Minarchistan]

$0.

[Xerographica]

$0

Why would I want to give money to my friends in order so that they please tell me what's going on in their lives.

You'd be giving your friends substantial feedback on their behavior. You'd be highlighting and rewarding and encouraging beneficial behavior.

[The Blaatschapen]

$0

Why would I want to give money to my friends in order so that they please tell me what's going on in their lives.

You'd be giving your friends substantial feedback on their behavior. You'd be highlighting and rewarding and encouraging beneficial behavior.

I give them feedback with my likes and hearts already. Sometimes even a message.

[Great Minarchistan]

$0

Why would I want to give money to my friends in order so that they please tell me what's going on in their lives.

You'd be giving your friends substantial feedback on their behavior. You'd be highlighting and rewarding and encouraging beneficial behavior.

So I should give a dime for my friend because he posted a photo of himself in a river. Great.

Nonetheless to say, that'd decrease Facebook's popularity quickly, so another social networks (Twitter, Instagram and even Discord and Skype) would rise. For Zuckerberg, such move would be suicidal.

[Xerographica]

You'd be giving your friends substantial feedback on their behavior. You'd be highlighting and rewarding and encouraging beneficial behavior.

I give them feedback with my likes and hearts already. Sometimes even a message.

Sure, but this is superficial feedback. It's not substantial feedback. Substantial feedback requires sacrifice...

If a woman told us that she loved flowers, and we saw that she forgot to water them, we would not believe in her "love" for flowers. Love is the active concern for the life and the growth of that which we love. Where this active concern is lacking, there is no love. - Erich Fromm, The Art of Loving

[Salandriagado]

$0

Why would I want to give money to my friends in order so that they please tell me what's going on in their lives.

You'd be giving your friends substantial feedback on their behavior. You'd be highlighting and rewarding and encouraging beneficial behavior.

I can do that vastly better by fucking talking to them.

[Xerographica]

You'd be giving your friends substantial feedback on their behavior. You'd be highlighting and rewarding and encouraging beneficial behavior.

So I should give a dime for my friend because he posted a photo of himself in a river. Great.

What would you give your friend if he helped you move?

[Salandriagado]

I give them feedback with my likes and hearts already. Sometimes even a message.

Sure, but this is superficial feedback. It's not substantial feedback. Substantial feedback requires sacrifice...

If a woman told us that she loved flowers, and we saw that she forgot to water them, we would not believe in her "love" for flowers. Love is the active concern for the life and the growth of that which we love. Where this active concern is lacking, there is no love. - Erich Fromm, The Art of Loving

And spending my time with them is far more meaningful than throwing money at the problem.

[The Blaatschapen]

I give them feedback with my likes and hearts already. Sometimes even a message.

Sure, but this is superficial feedback. It's not substantial feedback. Substantial feedback requires sacrifice...

If a woman told us that she loved flowers, and we saw that she forgot to water them, we would not believe in her "love" for flowers. Love is the active concern for the life and the growth of that which we love. Where this active concern is lacking, there is no love. - Erich Fromm, The Art of Loving

I don't think my friends are so concerned about that on facebook. They know what to expect.

[Galloism]

So I should give a dime for my friend because he posted a photo of himself in a river. Great.

What would you give your friend if he helped you move?

Beer, typically.

[Xerographica]

Sure, but this is superficial feedback. It's not substantial feedback. Substantial feedback requires sacrifice...

And spending my time with them is far more meaningful than throwing money at the problem.

You don't donate any money to charitable causes? You don't pay any taxes?

[Great Minarchistan]

So I should give a dime for my friend because he posted a photo of himself in a river. Great.

What would you give your friend if he helped you move?

Banter.

[Xerographica]

What would you give your friend if he helped you move?

Banter.

Anybody ever ask for a refund?

[The Blaatschapen]

What would you give your friend if he helped you move?

Beer, typically.

Also, pizza.

[Great Minarchistan]

Banter.

Anybody ever ask for a refund?

People aren't greedy fucks at the point of ask money if they lend a pencil for me, for example. Unless if they are Uncle Scrooge.

[Salandriagado]

And spending my time with them is far more meaningful than throwing money at the problem.

You don't donate any money to charitable causes? You don't pay any taxes?

I do the former regularly, and the latter rarely (pretty much only VAT at the moment, in fact). Neither of those have anything to do with communicating value, or any such tosh: the former is because throwing money at the problem is the best option I have available to me for addressing that problem, given other demands on my time, and the latter because I don't have a choice in the matter.

[Xerographica]

You don't donate any money to charitable causes? You don't pay any taxes?

I do the former regularly, and the latter rarely (pretty much only VAT at the moment, in fact). Neither of those have anything to do with communicating value, or any such tosh: the former is because throwing money at the problem is the best option I have available to me for addressing that problem, given other demands on my time, and the latter because I don't have a choice in the matter.

Like I said in the OP... crowdfunding posts would be optional. So what would be the harm in giving people this option?

If people don't spend their money on your posts... well... that wouldn't be any different than with the current system. If people did spend their money on your posts... well... would this harm you? If so, I'm sure that you could disable crowdfunding on your posts.

So where's the harm?

[Xerographica]

Anybody ever ask for a refund?

People aren't greedy fucks at the point of ask money if they lend a pencil for me, for example. Unless if they are Uncle Scrooge.

People aren't greedy fucks? Are they generous fucks?

[Galloism]

I do the former regularly, and the latter rarely (pretty much only VAT at the moment, in fact). Neither of those have anything to do with communicating value, or any such tosh: the former is because throwing money at the problem is the best option I have available to me for addressing that problem, given other demands on my time, and the latter because I don't have a choice in the matter.

Like I said in the OP... crowdfunding posts would be optional. So what would be the harm in giving people this option?

If people don't spend their money on your posts... well... that wouldn't be any different than with the current system. If people did spend their money on your posts... well... would this harm you? If so, I'm sure that you could disable crowdfunding on your posts.

So where's the harm?

Provided that funded posts don't appear more prominently or so forth, there's no harm, other than fools and their money are soon parted.

However, if you sort using this information, you are, once again, prioritizing based on the choices of the irrational. Why would you do this?