Social Media — Time Well Spent
If you think about what is a time well spent for you, scrolling on social media would not be at the top of your list. Yet, it is something we do from day to day, spending many hours on something that is not making us happy. Social media platforms are constantly trying to improve the experiences of their users, using algorithms that make content more relevant to users interests. But with all the efforts, it comes to the question of why do we spend so much time on social media and feel bad about it? That leads to a growing change in approach to users on social media with new features about how much time they spend online. Platforms are engaging in the movement of spending quality time offline and therefore make better experiences online.
As spending an addictive amount of time online becomes more and more talked about, there is the question of ethics in bombarding users with content. Big brands like Amazon, Google and Facebook are working toward making a better way of life with their platforms. Facebook is standing out with their campaign “The best part of Facebook isn’t on Facebook.” They are promoting the idea that there should be experiences that make the content on Facebook what it should be — celebrations, travels and other things that you are doing outside social media.
Instagram is also doing something similar, for children and teens on Instagram. According to the article from Richards: “Instagram released its Wellbeing for Parents initiatives on its site this fall. The information it provides includes tips and guides on how to manage privacy, comments, and time, while also recognizing that Instagram is a “place where teens relate to peers.” Instagram even takes it as far as providing a set of ten questions created through a partnership with social media and education expert Ana Homayoun to guide parents in a conversation about Instagram with their children. The intention is “to use these questions to learn more about how your teen is using Instagram, and to ensure they’re having a positive experience on the platform.””
Youtube is also participating in the movement by suggesting a break for their users. They are encouraging users to make their own schedules and pausing videos and reminding them to take the time off screen. Like in other platforms, you can see the time spent on the platform and the average time you should be spending.
This behavior brings awareness to users about how they spend their time. But its also putting all the responsibilities on users. Companies like Google are trying new innovations that will help more with this problem. Google positions itself as a brand that’s here to help users focus on what matters most. Its mission on well-being states, “In addition to helping you find answers quickly and get places sooner, Google is also building tools that help avoid daily distractions and look at devices less.”
With this movement, there can be an opportunity in off-screen technology like Alexa, Siri or the Google one. This voice-command technology allows users to access information or tell the command to a virtual assistant, creating more time doing things that they need to be doing and less time procrastinating on-screen.
Brand should also have the idea of time well spent in mind when creating a story. Even if the content and ads become more relevant to the users, it also becomes a crowded place of short-lasting information that doesn’t keep users attention. Consumers don’t have attention ‘’on’’ all the time. They can choose when they pay attention, so it’s important to know what captures it. Creating content that gives consumers benefit is more worthwhile for the consumers, and in the end for brand loyalty. Recreational Equipment, a retail company for outdoor equipment is influencing time well spent on its consumers. As explained in Richards article: ‘’ Marketing genius REI tapped into this when it built a system of classes and courses to help its consumers make the most of their time outdoors. REI doesn’t just sell its equipment to people; it truly extends its brand mission through all the different initiatives, events, and classes it provides, for free. Yes, for free. REI wants to better equip its customers by teaching them camping and hiking basics, how to repair a flat bike tire, and how to better understand navigation without a digital map in front of them.’’
There are many things brands and companies can be doing to be helpful to their customers instead of just blindly creating ads after ads. Creating good content is great, but it is not a long term solution for anyone. Investing in desire and passion of their consumers is something that could create more engagement in their everyday life and potentially have a more lasting impact.
