Why we post on social media?

1. Why We Post: Social Media
Through the Eyes of the
World

3. Why We Post: Social Media Through
the Eyes of the World
• A global research project on the uses and consequences of
social media.
• Nine anthropologists spent 15 months living in nine
communities around the world, researching the role of social
media in people's everyday lives.

4. The team have shared the 15
interesting discoveries they made
from their research…

5. 1. Social media is not making us
more individualistic.

6. 2. For some people social media
does not detract from education –
it is education.

7. 3. There are many different genres
of selfie.

8. 4. Equality online doesn't mean
equality offline.

9. 5. It's the people who use social
media who create it, not the
developers of platforms.

10. 6. Public social media is
conservative.

11. 7. We used to talk, now we just talk
photos.

12. 8. Social media is not making the
world more homogenous.

13. 9. Social media promotes social
commerce, not all commerce.

14. 10. Social media has created new
spaces for groups between the
public and private.

15. 11. People feel social media is now
somewhere they live as well as a
means for communication.

16. 12. Social media can have a
profound impact on gender
relations sometimes through using
fake accounts.

17. 13. Each social media platform only
makes sense in relation to
alternative platforms and the
media.

18. 14. Memes have become the moral
police of online life.

19. 15. We tend to assume social media
is a threat to privacy but sometimes
it can increase privacy.

20. A few of these discoveries
got me thinking about
the impact social media
has on our daily life in
business…

21. Social media is not making us more
individualistic
• There is a conception that
individual-based social
networking causes people
to become more
narcissistic and retreat
into themselves.
• The ‘Why We Post’
research demonstrates
this is often not the case,
and for businesses, we
can say for certain that it
is quite the opposite.

22. Social media is not making us more
individualistic
Social media has allowed businesses to
strengthen customer relations and build
an online community.

23. Social media is not making us more
individualistic
• The most effective
social media posts
relate to the audience.
• Businesses that post
constantly about their
internal affairs are not
likely to succeed on
social networks.

24. Social media is not making us more
individualistic
• Utilise social media as
an opportunity to
break down barriers
with customers and
connect with them on
a human level.
• Make it about the
customer, not about
the product.

25. Social media is not making us more
individualistic
• Post content that
relates to their life,
and inspires them to
connect and engage
with your business.

26. For some people social media does
not detract from education – it is
education
• ‘Why We Post’ found that whilst
social media is often viewed as a
distraction from education, it is
actually being used as a useful
tool for learning, particularly in
developing countries.
• Businesses should take the
opportunity to use their social
platform to educate their target
audience.

27. For some people social media does
not detract from education – it is
education
• Take advantage of the fact people use social media
tools to learn from each other and find information.
• You may find a business blog or YouTube is beneficial.

28. For some people social media does
not detract from education – it is
education
• As well as sharing
your business’ latest
news, share
educational posts
relevant to your
sector.
• For example, at
Pathway Group we
regularly share
educational videos
on YouTube.

29. Social media promotes social
commerce, not all commerce
• This is a statement I do
not tend to agree with.
• Social media platforms
are ideal for facilitating
peer-to-peer selling,
but I believe any type of
business can use social
media to promote sales
if done correctly.

30. Social media promotes social
commerce, not all commerce
The anthropologists found that most commercial
companies in the UK try to have a presence on
social media, but it is the businesses that rely on
personal connections that find it most worthwhile.

31. Social media promotes social
commerce, not all commerce
This relates to my
earlier point of
building a
community with
your customers
online so they do
become more like
personal
connections.

32. Social media promotes social
commerce, not all commerce
• Platforms such as Facebook,
Twitter, and Pinterest have
the functionality for
commerce.
• Purchasing through social
media can offer customers
ease and convenience, but
many are used to the
standard e-commerce
experience and prefer to
stick with that.

33. Social media promotes social
commerce, not all commerce
• Take advantage of this by
using social media to drive
customers to buy from
your site.
• For example, you can use
the ‘Shop Now’ call-to-
action button on
sponsored posts on
Facebook to take
customers straight to the
checkout.

34. Equality online doesn't mean
equality offline
• Considering this point from a recruitment stance, I believe
it can quite often be true.
• In 2013, a story came out about Virgin Atlantic failing to
offer someone an interview due to their African name, yet
offering them multiple interviews when they reapplied
using a British name.

35. Equality online doesn't mean
equality offline
This is sadly not a one-
off, and some MPs
have called for
nameless CVs to
prevent this type of
discrimination, and
base recruitment on
skills and experience,
as it should be.

36. Equality online doesn't mean
equality offline
• How does this relate to social
media?
• Social media allows greater
anonymity.
• We are less likely to have the
same prejudice towards
someone when we interact
with them online than we
would if it were face-to-face.

37. Equality online doesn't mean
equality offline
Stephanie Lampkin, a black female engineer, has taken this
idea and has developed an app, Blendoor, which lets job
seekers upload CVs, then hides their name and photo from
employers.

38. Equality online doesn't mean
equality offline
Background, race, and gender can remain anonymous in
many cases online, meaning we can judge people on
their character alone.

39. I would be interested to
hear any further
thoughts on the four
discoveries I have
discussed, as well as the
others.
Twitter: @pathwaygroup LinkedIn: The Pathway Group (Workforce Solutions)
Thanks to www.ucl.ac.uk/why-we-post/ for inspiration and images.
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