The Psychology Of Social Media: How To Connect With Users, Avoid Viral Sticky Situations And Build Lasting Relationships
If you’re an online content manager for a brand wanting to build relationships with users across social media, you need to learn about the hidden psychology behind these networks.
In The Hidden Psychology of Social Networks Book Summary, you’ll discover exactly how to do this – and more.
From memes to understanding what motivates users on each platform, this book dives into the basics as well as deeper insights into user behavior and psychology.
You’ll learn that the medium is just as important as the message – and gain exciting insights such as what Freud can tell us about social media and how UNIQLO conquered Reddit.
Armed with this knowledge, you’ll be able to develop content that resonates with your audience and creates meaningful engagement in an ever-expanding digital world.
The Power Of Memes: How Machines Help Make Ideas Spread Across Generations
The word “Meme” has been around for quite some time now, but many people don’t know that the idea of memes actually comes from evolutionary biology.
This concept was first introduced by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in his book The Selfish Gene.
He argued that just like genes pass down from one generation to another, ideas and other elements of our culture can be passed down in a similar way.
This phenomenon he called a “meme”.
Dawkins also discussed how ideas change as they go through an evolutionary process and how this relates to “meme machines” or the way we transmit these ideas – things like gifs, videos, tweets or even books such as Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations can carry them.
It is through these various vehicles of expression that memes spread throughout our society and become successful if their message resonates with enough people!
Meme Machines: The Format Is Just As Important As The Content
When it comes to memes, the format is just as important as the content.
It’s not just about the words, it’s also about the medium that is used to get the message across.
For example, when browsing Reddit or 4chan, you’ll often see images accompanied by words in a bold font such as Impact.
This font was deliberately chosen because of its boldness and because it meant that memes could be shared countless times without diminishing in quality.
The context in which the meme appears also affects its effectiveness.
An example would be video content on Facebook.
It might be difficult for someone passively scrolling through their newsfeed to watch an entire video ad being played.
On the other hand, still images have been found to attract more engagement on Facebook than video content, proving that sometimes a simple image or caption is all you need to get your message across in a social network setting.
All in all, The Hidden Psychology of Social Networks book highlights the importance of understanding that the format you choose for your meme matters just as much as what it says – and oftentimes more!
To Create Successful Online Content, Brands Need To Focus On Value, Formatting, And Narrative Techniques
Creating content that works online is a challenge for brands.
No one wants their carefully crafted messages to be ignored or ripped apart by savvy online audiences.
The key to success lies in developing content that brings value, adopts the right format, and employs narrative elements.
When it comes to bringing value, brands should think beyond the classic PR-speak and contribute something special to the online community.
This could take the form of bookmarkable content such as recipes or DIY projects featuring their products, or badgeworthy information that showcases how people define themselves in front of their social networks using the brand’s product/services.
In order for users to get maximum benefit from what you offer, it’s important to choose the right format for it.
For example, if you’re sharing a recipe on social media rather than just providing a link, put it into an image file so people can access it easily and quickly with just one click and share it conveniently with friends.
Lastly, narrative elements will help create a personal connection with users which encourages more engagement than impersonal facts or details about marketing campaigns ever could.
Instead of focusing on large numbers and broad topics when creating content around current issues that your brand is associated with, focus on individual stories and real experiences since these always garner more attention from consumers.
The Author Argues That How We Use Different Social Media Platforms Reflects Sigmund Freud’S Model Of The Mind, Which Consists Of An Id, A Superego, And An Ego
Freudian psychoanalysis offers a unique view of how people engage different versions of themselves across social media networks.
According to Sigmund Freud’s model, the mind is made up of an id, a superego, and an ego.
The id is our chaotic, unconscious instincts and desires while the superego embodies our learned cultural rules and ideals.
The ego then mediates between these two sides and it is best reflected in the platforms we use to interact with those closest to us like Facebook and Snapchat.
On Reddit and 4chan which rely on anonymous handles, our basic needs for exploration can manifest without any judgement from those we know in real life.
It presents an avenue for us to uncover parts of ourselves that remain untapped in day-to-day life.
Instagram echoes our desire as human beings to present ourselves as meticulously crafted idealized versions of who we really are in order to make a statement about how we want others to perceive us from afar.
We post edited photographs depicting the very best version of ourselves – looking our most gorgeous or consuming the tastiest treats – without worrying about impressing or informing close circles.
Finally, on Facebook or Snapchat where family and friends reside online as well, we share snippets of what actually makes up our regular existence with no filter applied whatsoever giving them rounded snapshots of who we actually are offline as they would observe if they happened to spend time around us.
Understanding How People Behave On Social Networks Is Key To A Successful Brand Strategy
It’s clear that to succeed with social media campaigns, brands need to understand the way people use different platforms.
Content that works on one platform will most likely not be successful on another.
Therefore, when targeting ego networks such as Facebook or Snapchat, brands should create opportunities for self-expression and connection with their friends offline.
An excellent example of this done well is Dove’s 2013 video ad which resonated so well with people and has been shared hundreds of thousands of times.
In the video, a forensic artist draws women’s faces based purely off their self descriptions and then again based off other people’s descriptions to show how a person needs to be kinder to themselves and embrace their flaws.
Ziploc also created content targeted towards ego networks in the form of “life hack” posts which encouraged people to use Ziploc products in creative and surprising ways like making Pecan Pie Chocolate Bark or Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries.
It was a great way to showcase their product while simultaneously prompting connection and inspiring self-expression within the community.
This strategy was extremely effective as people related to it and shared it with those around them!
Align Content On Superego Networks With People’S Ideal Selves To Drive Engagement
If you’re looking to engage people on superego networks such as Instagram or TikTok, then one of the things you need to do is look for ways that align with their ideal selves.
People use these networks to present an idealized version of themselves and so your content has to be aspirational and badgeworthy in order for it to get noticed.
Take fashion content on Instagram, for example – your content has to say something about the users desired identity if they’re going to engage with your brand.
They want to showcase that they are stylish and athletic, so if they see a post from a small, local clothing company, they will view it as more than just a product – but rather as something that reflects their ideals.
The same goes with bookmarkable content too.
Posting recipe hacks and ‘kitchen hacks’ on Instagram is extremely popular – people are using this type of content because by presenting themselves as excellent cooks can help them stand out amongst others online.
Just take a look at @buzzfeedtast’s 34 million followers – their short videos about recipes have made them wildly successful!
So next time you’re creating content for superego networks, be sure to think about how it interacts with people’s desired identities in order for it to become successful and generate engagement!
The Key To Success On Anonymous Identity Networks: An Authentic Online Community
One key to succeeding on id networks like Reddit and 4chan is to focus on fostering an authentic online community.
Unlike Instagram, sites like these are not about individualistic presentation or promotion; instead, they are all about the community as a whole and users share items of interest.
Plus, since people identify themselves primarily by nicknames, it’s all witty comic handles.
Moreover, the communities on these networks expect quality content and discussions over pushy promotion tactics.
There’s even a subreddit called r/AdvertisingFails dedicated solely to mocking bad campaigns!
To make sure your brand content does not fall victim to such ridicule, you must open up dialogue with the community and learn their needs and interests before simply pushing out promotional messages.
Take UNIQLO for instance: when they noticed posts related to their brand on Reddit, they didn’t hire a huge content team; instead, they gave the task of building relationships with Redditors to one e-commerce manager – Arielle Dyda – who engaged in honest conversation without too much polish or gloss.
This ultimately helped them build trust with the platform’s users and become something of a cult favorite among reposters!
To succeed with id networks then, recognize that fostering genuine relationships within an online community is more important than direct promotions.
Concentrate on understanding what makes your target audience tick – this will provide both clear direction as well as reliable connection when seeking greater success with such platforms.
Wrap Up
The Hidden Psychology of Social Networks is an insightful look into the way that people interact within different social networks.
The book provides us with insight into how to engage with people on social media and be sensitive to the traits that make each platform unique.
Freud’s model of the mind – the id, superego, and ego – serves as a useful analogy on how different networks can generally be divided into anonymous-community space, idealized-self space, and offline-life space.
Ultimately, it is important to remember that in order to succeed on social media platforms, you need to tailor your message to suit the medium.
