Super Charging Social: How The World Uses Social Media
A look into social: where we’re at and where it’s going.
In a world that is becoming increasingly virtual by the day, social media in 2022 can no longer be deemed a “distraction” or “just a hobby.” Nearly 50 million people consider themselves “content creators”, using the platform for international connections, community building, education, collaboration, and for some, a primary source of income.
The online landscape evolves in a never-ending push and pull between platform and user – what the user wants vs. the platform’s capabilities. In this continuation and final installment of our 2022 Super Charging Social series, we’ll dive into how the world is using social media in 2022.
In a New Age of Window Shopping
Shorter attention spans and the want for immediate results directly drive demand for “Instant Shopification.” Users are focusing more on “I want it now” vs. Waiting and having to go into a store to browse or purchase something. In 2022, users want the process from discovery to purchase to be as effortless as possible.
See how brands are responding to this new demand in our blog, Super Charging Social: How Platforms are Adapting to the World.
So how much have ecommerce integrations changed platforms and user habits? In a study Bazaarvoice, they found more than half of users on social use the platforms for shopping inspiration, purchase from influencer recommendations, and shop with brands they find online.
The current generation of shoppers values two things above all else — consistent experiences across channels, and convenience throughout the journey.
The study also showed that users are more likely to buy things like beauty, apparel, home goods, health and wellness products online through social media than in a physical store, making digital marketplaces in higher demand than ever before.
- Shoppers are turning to digital and social channels for purchase – everything virtual has increased since 2020. Many consumers are open to shopping 50% of the time via virtual channels.
- #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt – the hashtag boasts 7.4 billion views as of December 2021, with Tiktok’s report finding that TikTok inspired 67% of users to shop even when they weren’t looking to do so.
- Facebook finds that users are finding inspiration globally, then 59% make efforts to shop locally, preferring to support a local authentic brand over big-box store.
Dive deeper into how Pinterest is advancing their ecommerce experience for brands and influencers.
The Influencer Boom
In just three years, influencer marketing is expected to become a billion business — up billion from the 2022 number.
- This is an unsurprising jump, considering that 97% of Gen Z shoppers seek influencer guidance for recipe ideas, new usage occasions, and product recommendations.
- 67% of consumers have spent over 0 based on influencer recommendations within the last year.
As we know, influencers can live at any stage of the purchase funnel. When the above report asked consumers to indicate why they follow influencers on social media, answers fell in a wide range of categories:
Authenticity is Essential
Users are looking for content that “aligns with the native [platform] experience” and create “human, unpolished content.” Brands requiring authentic content more than ever before – need to meet consumers at their levels
Small details can make all the difference in creating an authentic presence. Using a trending song in your brands’ TikTok content is a great way to capture our community’s attention. 67% of TikTok users would prefer to see videos from brands featuring popular or trending songs on TikTok. Read more on how you can elevate your brand with these video essentials.
- #CreativeTip: Content should not be highly produced, because users will decide if they want to watch a video within the first 3 seconds. If the intro is too long or looks to “corporate company” users will scroll past.
Not only does authenticity perform best, users are demanding it. People continue to demand that media and advertising be inclusive, representative and real. Brands in sectors such as beauty and fashion lead the way by launching campaigns that celebrate nontraditional standards. The opportunity to show your audience you really see them has relevance that transcends industry.
“Pandemic driven lockdowns and other safety measures unlocked new layers of realness. The quest for authenticity led to rawthenticity – an embrace of the unvarnished self.”
Social media has been instrumental, especially with the pandemic pushing the world more virtual than ever before, in connecting like-minded people previously disconnected because of location. These “nano-communities” develop small but impactful spaces for both education and authentic connection no matter where you are in the world and include everything from small talk to deep conversations.
The Rise of Nano-Communities
Delivering your podcast to as many people as possible is every podcaster’s goal. And with so many podcast directories available, it can be overwhelming to know how to best tackle that. An easy way to maximize your reach with minimal effort is to connect your podcast hosting platform to the podcast directories. Whenever you update your podcast hosting platform with the latest information and audio, it automatically updates across numerous podcast directories – getting you in front of as many audiences as possible.
Facebooks 2022 Trend report finds “Isolating effect of the pandemic reminds us of the deep human need for connection, and millions have turned to nano-communities – such as the 600M people who are members of a Facebook group they consider meaningful in their life.”
- These online communities are not limited to Facebook Groups – identified in Subreddits, Discord Servers, Twitch chats, Instagram Hashtags, podcasts and more across the internet.
- People are eagerly connecting around areas once stigmatized, like mental health, or even topics considered controversial like religion or politics.
Fan Built World
Fans are looking to collaborate in the creation of art and community, with the arrival of NFT culture enabling a new level of interaction and engagement. 70% feel like they’re part of a community on TikTok, and can even refer to these communities ss “Science TikTok” or “CryptoTok.”
People with a ‘Participate’ mindset want to share with others and participate in a community. In short, they’re positive and open-minded. Research shows that 83% of people with this mindset are likely to respond to branded content on TikTok, compared to 59% on average.
Education for Interests
Users seek out informative content relevant to their interests. Especially for complicated topics such as skincare, finance, investing or even starting your own business, the world increasingly views the internet as a tool for knowledge, and social media is the easiest place to start.
“People are influenced by shared interests, not necessarily popularity…include micro-influencers with highly engaged audiences.”
The Great Restoration
Users are looking for corporations and governments to take more action to address climate change. People want to see genuine commitment from brands and others, quicker than ever before to demand and advocate for change
On Twitter alone, mentions of “greenwashing” have increased 158% year over year as users become better educated and empowered to call out what isn’t authentic.
People are more willing to share opinions when they identify a community that they can relate to. In 2022 and beyond, more people will continue to seek deep connections and open conversations with likeminded people, most of whom they will never meet in person.
Having a social and content strategy is key to any brands success. It allows you to connect with an audience, deliver your product to them, and remain engaged with users and influencers to further grow and advance your presence. Let Ideas Collide help you kickstart or elevate your social and content strategy. Let’s connect!