May 4, 2020
New studies show that 34% of Gen Z say they are quitting social media and 64% said they were taking a break. That can prove a big problem for almost any brand on the planet. Think about it. What business doesn’t use some form of a social method to sell their stuff?
It’s actually called a digital detox and although it might hurt your bottom line, it’s good for the mental health of your audience. It’s going to happen, so you might as well find a way to deal.
Luckily, the large social conglomerates have put their heads together to try and find a way to keep users engaged, happy, and most importantly, mentally well. Here are a few things that are happening:
Tactics are being developed as a means of rooting out negativity within social platforms. It has been pegged that negative emotional states and feelings of low self-esteem are one of the main reasons people are logging out of social media.
The social giants are increasingly finding ways to keep the negativity off of their pages. Many have done this by testing algorithms, but Instagram is taking it a step further by eliminating the ability to “like” a post completely. They are trialing it in 7 countries as we speak. The idea is to shift the experience away from analytics and approval and more towards the simple enjoyment of sharing.
Instagram has always been a leader in fighting bullying and abuse. This is yet another factor that makes people leave social media in droves. Who wants to deal with that?
Just like drugs, alcohol, and gambling, social media has been shown to be addictive. This is an issue that cannot be ignored by large social media brands and therefore, must be addressed.
Facebook is acutely aware of this tendency and has employed algorithms to change it. They are also shifting the way information is presented to users to stave off addictive behaviors. The intent is to encourage people to openly engage without the fear of forming a dependency.
The purpose of social media was originally intended to connect us. It sort of seems laughable now knowing how much people have abused this privilege. One of the primary issues people have when detoxing from social media is wasting time.
The aim is to make public comments more meaningful. A deeper social experience is the end goal. Of course, Zuckerberg has created algorithms for this too. They are looking to increase the opportunities for genuine social engagement at every turn. It is the brand’s hope that this action will help users make Facebook a more satisfying and productive part of social life. This is through changing how they interact with it.
There are many strategies being deployed and tested to try and harness the ultimate user experience. Instagram seems to be pioneering a lot of them. They have also created a feature that will time your usage. You can then set a reminder to tell you when to log off.
Facebook will allow users to adjust their ad experience. This means streamlining advertising to support instances of information overload. All of the major platforms are putting considerable investment into researching how to avoid addiction and permanent digital detox.
If you find your audience depleting and you fear they may be experiencing some digital detox, there are other ways to reach people and run campaigns. Consider these additional strategies
Remember, you can use anything in tandem. There is no right or wrong way. It’s all about testing to see what works best for your brand.
Digital detox is inevitable but luckily the large social brands like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have put stops in place to treat users more like people, and not just numbers. Follow their lead.
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