Friend or? faux?
We may have hundreds, if not thousands of friends in our social networks, but the truth is that we still know what separates the real from the fake.
As social creatures of the online world, we have developed certain social characteristics and entered a whole new realm of social etiquette. Our affiliates at McCann have got it all figured out in their study called The Truth About Social, where they’re revealing 12 global truths about social media, three of which we unveiled on Monday.
Truth number four is that we have growing and complex ecosystems of friends. While our high school days most likely consisted of a tight-knit group of best friends, today’s teens have a more complex, segmented social network. While our personal identity was expressed within our group, teens now have to manage multiple, intersecting packs of friends that also come along with tailored identities for each. While it might sound complicated, we are all living it, right now.
Truth number five is that we still know what makes a good friend. While connecting with our friends, acquaintances, and peers in our social networks, we also tend to pick up a lot of fake friends along the way. Call these bogus buddies whatever you like, be it obligation friends, disposable friends, or something else along those lines. According to McCann, although it’s a global phenomenon, we only consider those who are genuine and truthful to be our real friends. And companies should take note, because people look for the same criteria in the brands they gravitate towards. McCann’s findings suggest that brands should use social media in a human way rather than trying to hide the humanity that sits behind their brand.
Truth number six is that the need to broadcast is constant. In today’s social economy, we tend to define ourselves not only by what we have, but by what we do, and do we ever love to talk about it! Sharing and broadcasting our life stories through social media has become the norm. By using these platforms, we broadcast our own reality show, and each of us gets the starring role. McCann also reveals that disconnection anxiety, or the fear of missing out, is a part of the truth too, and even a short metro or subway ride can cause anxiety. Yikes!
“Our Rogers One Number campaign concept was built on the premise that friends trust friends. We created a how-to social video that not only explained the complex nature of the service, but allowed users to communicate with each other. The campaign was a success as one friend brought another, who brought another, and so on,” says Bobby Destounis, Director of Digital Strategy.
Stay tuned for three more social truths from McCann on Friday.
As social creatures of the online world, we have developed certain social characteristics and entered a whole new realm of social etiquette. Our affiliates at McCann have got it all figured out in their study called The Truth About Social, where they’re revealing 12 global truths about social media, three of which we unveiled on Monday.
Truth number four is that we have growing and complex ecosystems of friends. While our high school days most likely consisted of a tight-knit group of best friends, today’s teens have a more complex, segmented social network. While our personal identity was expressed within our group, teens now have to manage multiple, intersecting packs of friends that also come along with tailored identities for each. While it might sound complicated, we are all living it, right now.
Truth number five is that we still know what makes a good friend. While connecting with our friends, acquaintances, and peers in our social networks, we also tend to pick up a lot of fake friends along the way. Call these bogus buddies whatever you like, be it obligation friends, disposable friends, or something else along those lines. According to McCann, although it’s a global phenomenon, we only consider those who are genuine and truthful to be our real friends. And companies should take note, because people look for the same criteria in the brands they gravitate towards. McCann’s findings suggest that brands should use social media in a human way rather than trying to hide the humanity that sits behind their brand.
Truth number six is that the need to broadcast is constant. In today’s social economy, we tend to define ourselves not only by what we have, but by what we do, and do we ever love to talk about it! Sharing and broadcasting our life stories through social media has become the norm. By using these platforms, we broadcast our own reality show, and each of us gets the starring role. McCann also reveals that disconnection anxiety, or the fear of missing out, is a part of the truth too, and even a short metro or subway ride can cause anxiety. Yikes!
“Our Rogers One Number campaign concept was built on the premise that friends trust friends. We created a how-to social video that not only explained the complex nature of the service, but allowed users to communicate with each other. The campaign was a success as one friend brought another, who brought another, and so on,” says Bobby Destounis, Director of Digital Strategy.
Stay tuned for three more social truths from McCann on Friday.
