Social likes on the internet are everywhere. We can see them on all social media platforms from Youtube to Facebook to LinkedIn. The ‘thumbs up’ are a common sight below a caption, a video, a blog post or a news article. At face value, the task of ‘liking’ something is a simple action from a user. However, the value of a Social Like is far bigger than this. And even has a dark side that could affect your mental well-being.
History of the like button
In 2005, Vimeo introduced the like button to their videos. But it wasn’t until 2009, when adopted by Facebook, that it started to gain popularity. Really it came about from having too many posts with a lot of duplicate comments (‘Congratulations’ ‘Well done,’ etc.). And a simple ‘like’ button would make it easier for users to signal approval and reduce duplicate comments. From that simple beginning, the like button is now pressed more than 3 billion times per day. And that’s just on Facebook!
It could be argued that the Like button is now the most valuable commodity in the world. Creating a vast amount of data about us with just a single click. Having the ability to accurately predict a user’s personality traits based on these clicks. With a remarkably small number of likes, an algorithm can determine a user’s personality to a very high degree. In fact, Facebook probably knows you better than anyone; probably even better than your spouse knows you.
As you can imagine, this kind of data and insight could be very valuable to companies when trying to provide customers with relevant and personal experiences.
Social Likes in Business
Businesses spend billions a year on elaborate efforts to establish and maintain a social media presence. 80% of Fortune 500 companies have active Facebook pages. Each day enormous amounts of brand-generated content appear on those pages and on other social media platforms, all designed to entice people to Like, follow, engage with, and buy from their brand. The idea is that attracting social media followers and increasing their exposure to a brand will ultimately increase sales. Hoping that more exposure to the brand will lead to more content being distributed virally.
It’s also possible to buy likes these days. Somewhat of a murky area but if you wish to get validation quicker or believe that many likes will endorse your brand better, then there are many companies out there that will take your money gladly.
And does it work?
Well, the Harvard Business Review performed a series of experiments that show social media doesn’t work the way many marketers think it does. They found the following to be true:
- “The mere act of endorsing a brand does not affect a customer’s behaviour or lead to increased purchasing, nor does it spur purchasing by friends.”
- “Social media users who endorse a brand on Facebook are not more likely to buy it.”
- “Liking a brand on Facebook had no enhancing effect on the purchasing habits of friends.”
However, the good news is that there is a way to convert likes into meaningful behaviour, and it’s simple advertising.
Validation addiction from Likes
There is also a worrying aspect to likes: validation, addiction, and how it can affect mental health. Likes, and the data behind them, can be tools to allow companies to provide customers with a better customer experience but, on a personal level, there’s plenty of evidence that likes, or the drive to attain them, can be incredibly damaging for some individuals’ mental health.
In Canada, Instagram is in the testing stages of removing public Like counts from posts. Although their audience will still be able to like their content on Instagram, and those like counts would be visible within their analytics. However, the like count in the feed is the only thing missing for now. The change is an effort for users to post more, without the built-up anxiety they used to feel about how the post will perform.
The problem, however, is that a lot of users form their sense of self-worth from the number of likes they get. A like-less Instagram might boost self-esteem, but getting approval from other people in the form of likes and comments is partly why people keep returning to social media again and again. Social media engagement has been described as digital cocaine. If the user experience doesn’t include visible likes and the addictive rush of dopamine when they start to come in, log-ins could take a hit.
Either way, the trial run is a great way to talk about and encourage more mindful usage of Social platforms. If you find the idea of a “like-” free Instagram mentally liberating, it might behove you to take a step back and consider how much headspace you’re giving the app in your life.
Marketing your business? Contact us to find out how we can assist.