5 Reasons We Share on Social Media
It’s a pretty simple question, but the answer isn’t quite so simple. Ask anyone why they share pictures of themselves or baking videos or dog memes, and they’ll probably answer, “uh…because?” Social media has quickly become ingrained into our everyday lives and because of that, sharing posts seems almost as routine as brushing your teeth or folding laundry. We don’t stop to wonder why we’ve reposted a video of a random cat or even an image of suffering children in a far away country. It’s just something we do. However, thanks to a recent study done by The New York Times Customer Insight Group, it’s clear to see 5 key categories that people fall into when they share.
1. Value and Entertainment
The first reason we share is usefulness. We all want to be valued, and believe our ideas come with some merit. So we share our ideas through tweets, Instagram pictures and Facebook posts to provide some sort of entertainment for others. Social media entertainment comes in many different shapes and sizes. Things like cute dog videos are obvious and pure forms of entertainment, but posts that simply inform other users of something can create value as well. Posts that indicate traffic on the highway, a new local restaurant or a neighborhood carjacking all retain value. They may not be the most entertaining posts, but they create a certain importance for the person who posted. And we all want to be important.
2. Identity Creation
The second reason we share is to simply let others know who we are. If you’re a big sports fan, I guarantee your social pages are full of articles and pictures about your favorite team and players. If you’re a business, you most likely share posts about your products or services. And if you’re a loving mom of two, I’d bet your page is full of posts about your kids. Everyone loves letting others know what they’re into and how they spend their free time. And social media allows us to tailor a persona and self-image perfectly.
3. Relationships
The third reason we share focuses on relationships. Social media keeps us connected. Long lost childhood neighbors or old high school friends can reinvigorate a connection that otherwise would’ve been lost. Social media not only helps rekindle past relationships but aids in furthering new ones as well. We all have certain people we share specific posts with. Maybe you share cooking videos with one friend but art videos with another. Doing this grows newer relationships and shows people you’re thinking about them.
4. Involvement
The fourth reason we share is mainly because we love being a part of the conversation. Going hand in hand with being valued, we love being involved. It’s why we tweet angrily at our politicians over policy or joyously at actors for an outstanding job in a new film. Odds are celebrities and public figures will never see our tweets at them but it makes us feel involved in what’s happening nonetheless. Why else would we tweet about the Super Bowl other than to let everyone else know we’re watching the Super Bowl? Why else did almost 3.5 million of us retweet Ellen’s selfie at the Oscars? Celebrities, shows and companies profit on our desire to be involved all the time. It’s why news sources use tweets in articles and why YouTubers pick out comments on their Instagram to talk about. Using user-generated content encourages more users to be involved and forms an attachment between producer and consumer. We want to be a part of the conversation, and social media lets us.
5. Causes
The last reason we all share is to promote causes and issues we care about. It’s why we all changed our profile picture after the Paris attacks, it’s why we all took joy in posting our ALS ice bucket challenge videos and it’s part of the reason why movements like #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter have gained so much traction. We hate missing out and these days, remaining silent on social media while a major current event is happening paints a picture of indifference. And while how much ‘good’ social media activism actually does can be debated, what can’t be debated is how social media posting encourages us to speak up about issues and causes.
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This was article was written by Red Summit Productions Intern Tyler Dolph.
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