The Psychology of Social Media – Why we Like, Share or Comment On Social Media Social media, we can’t live with it and we certainly can’t live without it. Science has shown that there’s a psychological reason behind why people feel compelled to share, like or comment on certain things. What’s that got to do with you? If you want more Facebook traffic, then it’s important to understand what will motivate your target audience to be involved on your page. It’s all about user engagement when it comes to social media success. Ready to learn the psychology behind why people like, share or comment on a post? Read on.
WHY WE LIKE
You’ll Seem More Empathetic According to the Pew Research Center, on average, 44% of Facebook users “like” content posted by friends and favorite pages about once a day, while 29% do so multiple times a day. Clicking the “like” is a way of developing a virtual human connection. When you like another person’s page, you come off as supportive, attentive and engaged; all characteristics associated with empathy. Consider posting things that are compelling or will elicit a positive emotional response. You’ll Get Something Out Of It Sometimes liking things has to do more with practicality than emotions. When it comes to company pages, people are often motivated by return. People will like pages more often when they are interested in seeing the content that a particular brand has to share. For example, if someone wants to receive coupons from Target, then they may be more likely to regularly like Target’s posts, so that they don’t miss out on important offers such as giveaways, sales, coupons, etc.
WHY WE COMMENT
Commenting Is More Satisfying People often comment because they want their voices to be heard. When you leave a comment, there’s also more of an opportunity for engagement. While liking is a quick acknowledgement, leaving a comment seems much more personal and generates a feeling of satisfaction. It’s important that businesses engage with their audience. When people leave comments on your page, it’s important that you’re responsive. Being responsive has many benefits. One, it allows the conversation to continue. The more likes and comments a post has, the longer and higher up it stays on the newsfeed. And two, it shows your audience that you care and listen. Remember, people just want to be heard.
WHY WE SHARE There are many reasons why people choose to share posts on Facebook. New York Times conducted a thought leadership study on the psychology of sharing on Facebook. The study found that there were five primary reasons why people choose to share content on Facebook. • Provide Value Or Entertainment: When responders can share information that provides value or is entertaining, it makes them feel smart and cool. • To Affirm Ourselves: Sharing information that responders found interesting created an opportunity for them to share a piece of themselves. They want their community to get a better sense of them and the things that they care about. • To Strengthen Relationships: Sharing content provides another opportunity to bond with the Facebook community, and interact with people they may not usually stay in touch with. • Personal Fulfillment: Sometimes it has nothing to do with other people. Sharing content brings personal satisfaction, which in turn, allows people to feel more involved in the world. • Spreading Awareness: Responders stated that they feel fulfilled when they can share things that they care about, in the hopes that they can inspire action or change opinion. People like to share things because they find it interesting, informative, entertaining, or they just want to show that they’re in the know. The most important takeaway, as a business, is to make sure you are sharing things that fit into the above categories. Create content that is entertaining, yet informative. Provide content that really connects with your target audience, so they can see themselves in your brand. Lastly, make sure your content is engaging and will spark conversation. It’s always good to take note of the types of things that people are liking, commenting and sharing. Knowing this information can help your marketing efforts and also give you a better guideline about the type of content you should share more often. More importantly, it’s important to remember that Facebook is all about the user. If you create a fantastic user experience, then you will generate a fantastic user response. It’s a win/win for all!