A platform founder admits popularity is rewarded above information quality

Evidence

I think Twitter absolutely is part of that [status] … it rewards popularity above pretty much all else. And we try to build in things that can break out of the popularity. Like the way we built retweet which was for the purpose of trying to get good information spread most efficiently to where it wanted to go. But still, in general, what’s rewarded is popularity. You could argue [that] you can get popular by creating really good stuff. Or you can get popular by doing sensationalistic crap. — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, 212

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to Goffman’s presentation-of-self: platform design itself incentizes performance over substance. — connects to: Social media’s design rewards visibility and self-promotion with social status. — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity,…, 39; View-based payouts reward creators who chase the broadest audience — W. David Marx, Blank Space: A Cultural History of the…, 289; Algorithmic platforms made ad revenue independent of brand quality or gatekeeping (+1 more)
• QUESTION: How much do platform architectures versus user psychology determine the celebrity/status dynamic?

Broader Connections

• View-based payouts reward creators who chase the broadest audience #exemplifies (0.92) — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 289
• Social media’s design rewards visibility and self-promotion with social status. #expands (0.85) — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, 39
• Algorithmic platforms made ad revenue independent of brand quality or gatekeeping #expands (0.75)