Why do we click the share button?

"Social Media is called social media for a reason. It lends itself to sharing rather than horn-tooting." - Margaret Atwood

As charity begins at home, I believe, nowadays, sharing begins at social media.

Netizens have made social media a part of their routine. Continuous scrolling through Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn feed and sharing few of them has become a ritual.

But wait, what are you sharing with others? Is it humorous? Is it something your network will relate to? Is it informative? What is your reason behind clicking the share button? Ask yourself these questions and you may find out a surprising reason behind your deed.

What we tell our peers in the real world has transformed into sharing in the virtual world. In his book, Shareology: How Sharing is Powering the Human Economy, Bryan Kramer states many reasons as to why some content gets more share and how to make your content shareable. Many researchers have studied psychology behind social sharing and identified 5 major motives as below:

TO INSPIRE & INFORM OTHERS

Brands usually share content about their products or reviews of their happy customers to inform people about the value that they offer. Apart from being purely informative, you might also share some content because it is humorous or entertaining. Overall, as an individual too, you may feel like adding something to other people's lives.

TO CREATE AN IDENTITY

Social Media has become the building block of perception in people's mind. Be it you or me, we all check social media profiles to judge any person. The type of content they share, like, or re-post, become clues to his/her perceived personality. Thus, obviously, we share content which will enhance our image among our social groups.

TO CONNECT

Taking an example of the platform LinkedIn, many aspiring professionals share content related to their dream career or company to connect with like minded people. Also, sharing on a regular basis helps in maintaining the established connections. Such connections can be professional as well as personal. Many-a-times we share a quote, story, or joke, targeting like minded people to nurture relationships online.

TO GET FEEDBACK AND INSPIRATION

For many of us, social media has become the happiness meter. How many times do you check your smartphone for notifications once you have posted any content on any platform? Are you curious about how many people have liked, commented or shared your post? When people engage with your posts positively, you feel a boost of happiness.

TO OFFER/ INVITE SUPPORT

No explanation required. In 2020 we all have witnessed many man-made and natural disasters which have taken the world by shock. Social media is flooded with campaigns, petitions and messages for such causes and we share such messages to become part of the cause.

Below are some statistics that will make you understand the psychology of sharing better:

Source: meltwater.com

For all those who want to make their content shareable, it is important to first understand your customer's motive behind it. As the time is passing by, our attention span is decreasing. What grabs your attention becomes the reason for sharing it. As a marketer, identify these reasons. Energetic images, cute emoticons, funny memes, surprising expressions, unusual facts and aesthetically beautiful images are some examples of attention seeking elements.

Next time when you are about to click the share button, take a moment to understand the reason behind it as it helps in building your story and to draw insights about yourself to develop better self awareness.

Happy Sharing!