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Social Media- A modern marketplace

Peggie Mishra
3 min readJan 19, 2025

Social media was initially designed to connect people — a digital platform where friends and families could share moments, milestones, and memories. Back in the early 2000s, these platforms thrived in cultivating personal connections. But fast forward to today, social media has evolved into something else entirely: a bustling marketplace. What was once about connection is now a system designed to monetize user interactions, selling products, and, in many cases, manipulating emotions to drive consumptions.

Social Media- A modern marketplace

Marketing ads are at the heart of this transformation. Even if you don’t want to see them, these companies sneak them in between posts you’re actually interested in. For example, you might be scrolling Instagram, enjoying updates from your friends, and suddenly an ad for running shoes pops up. Maybe you searched for them earlier on Google, and now your feed is full of Nike and Adidas promotions. That’s not a coincidence; it’s the algorithm tracking your behavior and trying to cash in on it.

Every industry — whether it’s travel, food, retail, religion, or tech — is using social media to sell something. And the moment you interact with one post, it sets off a chain reaction. Say you like a picture of a Maldives resort. Suddenly, your timeline gets flooded with ads for flights, hotels, and travel gear, all trying to push you to book that dream vacation. It’s

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