Social media is our image we want to project to the world. Really, anything we put on the internet is.
But, what do status updates, selfies, likes and comments really mean?
In last week's episode of "This American Life," Ira Glass takes a look at what we post means and how it affects us.
He interviews two teenage girls about the process for posting on their respective social media accounts and why they do it. And I absolutely loved it.
Although I listened to it this past weekend, I remember one of the girls saying how before she posts a seflie, she sends it to all of her friends to be sure she looks "gorgeous," as she said.
The girls also said likes and comments are totally different. Likes are for when you want to show you approve of something but the person posting may not be your best friend. You want to show support but in a more distant way. It's OK to get lost in the sea of likes.
Comments are more coveted. You comment on a good friend's photo or on a post you care about. It invokes something in you that you must write something in response to what someone said.
FURTHER READING: All engagement is not created equal
Another comical but so oh so true statement the girls made was that they get texts from friends saying, "Go like my photo on Instagram," or "Did you see my selfie on Facebook?"
When listening to this, I wondered, does this apply to an organization's social media feed?
In some aspects, I would argue yes.
Likes do mean that someone has seen the post and agrees/supports the sentiment it's communicating. They're nothing more than an approval. But they do count for something. It means people are actually paying attention to what you post, which is a good thing especially when we're bombarded constantly with digital information.
Comments, especially on a news organization's page, mean people are engaging with the post. They have something to say about it, and they will voice their opinion. However, I've found comments are for the braver, boisterous or sometimes horribly opinionated social media users. They literally don't care what people think.
In the case of an organization or company, comments mean conversation about a topic. Likes mean people are happy with what you're putting out.
Which is better? Depends on your organization. Shares are good across the board.
But go back to the group chat about selfies. I believe organizations need to do this more often.
Discuss what you're putting out there, how it contributes to your image, why it matters and what response it will solicit.
That way, you're not just posting. Like teenage girls, think about, even scrutinize, what you post on social media. It's your image to the world.
But, what do status updates, selfies, likes and comments really mean?
In last week's episode of "This American Life," Ira Glass takes a look at what we post means and how it affects us.
He interviews two teenage girls about the process for posting on their respective social media accounts and why they do it. And I absolutely loved it.
Although I listened to it this past weekend, I remember one of the girls saying how before she posts a seflie, she sends it to all of her friends to be sure she looks "gorgeous," as she said.
The girls also said likes and comments are totally different. Likes are for when you want to show you approve of something but the person posting may not be your best friend. You want to show support but in a more distant way. It's OK to get lost in the sea of likes.
Comments are more coveted. You comment on a good friend's photo or on a post you care about. It invokes something in you that you must write something in response to what someone said.
FURTHER READING: All engagement is not created equal
Another comical but so oh so true statement the girls made was that they get texts from friends saying, "Go like my photo on Instagram," or "Did you see my selfie on Facebook?"
When listening to this, I wondered, does this apply to an organization's social media feed?
In some aspects, I would argue yes.
Likes do mean that someone has seen the post and agrees/supports the sentiment it's communicating. They're nothing more than an approval. But they do count for something. It means people are actually paying attention to what you post, which is a good thing especially when we're bombarded constantly with digital information.
Comments, especially on a news organization's page, mean people are engaging with the post. They have something to say about it, and they will voice their opinion. However, I've found comments are for the braver, boisterous or sometimes horribly opinionated social media users. They literally don't care what people think.
In the case of an organization or company, comments mean conversation about a topic. Likes mean people are happy with what you're putting out.
Which is better? Depends on your organization. Shares are good across the board.
But go back to the group chat about selfies. I believe organizations need to do this more often.
Discuss what you're putting out there, how it contributes to your image, why it matters and what response it will solicit.
That way, you're not just posting. Like teenage girls, think about, even scrutinize, what you post on social media. It's your image to the world.