Turning Pages or Scrolling Feeds: Has Social Media Replaced Books as the Real Driver of Knowledge and Influence?
<p><br/></p><p>World Book Day always brings one big question to mind: do books still matter as much as they used to? With the rise of social media, it’s easy to think that the way people gain knowledge and influence has completely changed.</p><p>Social media has clearly taken a strong position in today’s world. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and X (Twitter) spread information faster than any book ever could. A single post can reach millions of people within minutes. News, opinions, tutorials, and even life advice are now shared in short, quick formats that are easy to understand. For many young people, social media is the first place they turn to when they want to learn something new or stay updated. In terms of influence, it is even more powerful. Influencers shape opinions, trends, and even decisions about lifestyle, fashion, and beliefs.</p><p>However, speed does not always mean depth. Books still offer something social media struggles to provide—deep understanding. A book takes time to read, but it also takes time to think. It allows the reader to explore ideas in detail, understand different perspectives, and build critical thinking skills. While social media often gives quick answers, books encourage deeper reflection. They are usually more reliable too, because they go through editing and publishing processes, unlike many online posts.</p><p>Another important difference is focus. Social media can be distracting, with endless scrolling and notifications. Books, on the other hand, require attention and patience. This helps readers develop concentration and a stronger connection to what they are learning.</p><p>That said, it would be wrong to say social media has completely replaced books. Instead, both now exist side by side. Social media has become a powerful tool for spreading information and influencing people quickly, while books remain a strong foundation for gaining real, lasting knowledge. </p><p><span style="background-color: transparent;"> social media has changed how knowledge is shared and how influence is built, but it has not replaced books. If anything, it has added a new layer to learning. Books still hold their value, especially for those who want to truly understand the world, not just scroll through it.</span></p>
At the end of the month, we give out prizes in 3 categories: Best Content, Top Engagers and
Most Engaged Content.
Best Content
Top Engagers
Most Engaged Content
Best Content
We give out cash prizes to between 7 and 20 community members with the best insights in the past month.
The winners are picked by an in-house selection process.
The winners are NOT picked from the leaderboards/rankings, we choose winners based on the quality, originality
and insightfulness of their content.
Here are a few other things to know for the Best Content track
1
Quality over Quantity — You stand a higher chance of winning by publishing a few really good insights across the entire month,
rather than a lot of low-quality, spammy posts.
2
Share original, authentic, and engaging content that clearly reflects your voice, thoughts, and opinions.
3
Avoid using AI to generate content—use it instead to correct grammar, improve flow, enhance structure, and boost clarity.
4
Explore audio content—high-quality audio insights can significantly boost your chances of standing out.
5
Use eye-catching cover images—if your content doesn't attract attention, it's less likely to be read or engaged with.
6
Share your content in your social circles to build engagement around it.
Top Engagers
For the Top Engagers Track, we award the top 3 people who engage the most with other user's content via
comments.
The winners are picked using the "Top Monthly Engagers" tab on the rankings page.
Most Engaged Content
The Most Engaged Content recognizes users whose content received the most engagement during the month.
We pick the top 3.
The winners are picked using the "Top Monthly Contributors" tab on the rankings page.
Contributor Rankings
The Rankings/Leaderboard shows the Top 20 contributors and engagers on TwoCents a monthly and all-time basis
— as well as the most active colleges (users attending/that attended those colleges)
The all-time contributors ranking is based on the Contributor Score, which is a measure of all the engagement and exposure a contributor's content receives.
The monthly contributors ranking tracks performance of a user's insights for the current month. The monthly and all-time scores are calcuated DIFFERENTLY.
This page also shows the top engagers on an all-time & monthly basis.
Below is a list of badges on TwoCents and their designations.
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