When we socialise, we get together and we share things - information, opinions and experiences - and that's exactly what happens on social media. It’s all about sharing. It allows us to post a rich and wide variety of media across the world in no time at all.

And, it’s not just a one way conversation either. Social media also allows other users to react and respond to what you’re putting out there. Sure, most of us like to talk or express ourselves in one way or another, but we often say and share things with our friends, family and communities because we want to know what they think too - so, gaining ‘likes’, comments and shares is a big part of why we create content in the first place. In a way, these types of feedback are actually pieces of content in themselves.

In fact, research suggests that our emotional responses are actually enhanced when we share experiences with others, which gives all those ‘likes’ and shares a new level of depth and meaning. We also know that posts with a higher emotional value get shared more - if your content makes your audience laugh, if it inspires them or makes them feel joy they’re more likely to spread it far and wide, helping it to generate interest and engagement independently, beyond your initial audience.

Along with shareability, there’s also an increasing focus on ‘authenticity’ which has become incredibly important to consumers and to the success of a business. In fact, 80% of consumers say they’re more likely to purchase a product from an online store if its website has photos and videos from real consumers. This is why a lot of today’s content on social media is user generated, which helps to drive increased engagement and reach…

Social media owes much of its success and popularity to the fact that it enables the typical, everyday user to distribute their own content. Not too long ago, you’d need the backing of a popular publisher or TV corporation to get your stuff in front of large audiences, but nowadays, anyone and everyone can write something or create a video, and take it for granted that hundreds, thousands, or even millions could end up seeing it.

As a result, what we have now is a countless array of independent creators, producing User Generated Content, or UGC - material that’s ‘by the people, for the people’, and about topics they’re genuinely passionate about. This has had a massive impact on audience expectations, as well as how businesses should accommodate them.

Once, we may have been won over by the big production budgets, super polished scripts, and high-quality shoots that often represent big businesses in traditional entertainment formats. But now, we don’t always mind if things are perhaps a little rough around the edges, so long as it feels like it’s coming from a genuine place.

You could even go so far as to say that we’ve acclimatized to the value of content made by people with - at least in theory - no ulterior motive, and so we often distrust content that seems too corporate, calculated, or contrived. What you should take away from all of this is simple: when you're using social media, authenticity is key.

A New Mindset