For this international module an assignment was given to us, to the ones that did not take on the study trip to Croatia. The purpose was for us to gain inspiration and knowledge for our exam project and look at how different tools, strategies, and frameworks can be implemented to give a better experience.
Our team chose to pursue a podcast as it has been something we have discussed quite a lot before but it was also easy and straightforward to do. Drawing inspiration from our client we decided to dig deeper into social media. Our clients main form of drawing in customers is through her instagram, and there are so many ways to draw people in. We specifically dug into Algorithms, Trends, UGC (User-Generated Content), and Attention Span. These 4 areas play a big part in social media and how we interact with content and others.
Attention Span
I took on the responsibility of talking about attention span, and I think it’s because I brought up those tik tok videos where there’s a reddit voice over on one side and a subway surfer video on the other. I mentioned it because I am a victim of it. I concentrate better with the subway surfer video because I can multitask but I can just do singular activity so it just tickles a special spot in my brain.
I also think generally the research into attention span is interesting. I think this is due to the world we live in, there is so much chaos going on all the time, so much stimulation in all sorts of media. Also the easy access to the internet makes everything very quick and easy, so when we don’t get the information right away, we go away. That applies very well for videos, if the video is not telling me something directly and has unnecessary dialogue for the first 15 seconds I will skip.
Algorithms
Another Interesting point a group member of mine talked about is algorithms. Everyone has a different algorithm based on what kind of content they interact with, what they search, and whom they visit. It’s a little creepy when you think that somewhere there is something tracking these kinds of information and pushing related information out to us, becoming extremely personalised. When I reflect on my own day to day life, my algorithms on tiktok and youtube are very different from my friends. But algorithms have blessed the user experience for many platforms with this personalised content, as it makes us even more engaged with the content and it’s a never ending cycle.
UGC
Initially I had a very boxed up idea of UGC content, I looked at it as very cheap and low effort videos that companies used and paid small influencers to make videos for them. But that’s because when I saw these videos they had UGC creator in their name and the videos were not so good and that is the initial impression I got. I learned the UGC can literally be made by anyone. An interesting point was made in relation to Redbull or GoPro, where they use their customers’ footage to showcase their product. Seeing normal people creates trust and credibility towards the users showcasing an authentic experience rather than a robotic scripted ad. It allows us the viewers to more likely trust the opinions of others the customers on the products or services they are advertising. A very powerful and vital move for any brand on SoMe.
Trends
Trends are HUGE especially on social media, it’s all I see and hear about. The things I find trending here in Denmark sometimes make me question my life as one time they made a trend to make a sushi ball… but in Japan where I grew up we call it onigiri and has been around for 2 centuries, so lots of ‘rebranding’ I see within trends. But trends shape social media, you hear about trends solely from tiktok or instagram. They vary from being funny to more serious. Trends are so important because it’s like this invisible club anyone can partake in and since the internet and social media is so accessible, who wouldn’t want to be part of the club.
Overall I think this podcast was very beneficial to our understanding of how social media works, especially since we are working with instagram for our exam project. Social media is really a complex alternate universe that I will never be able to grasp. Many things can contribute to success and can be followed through a formula, but sometimes you’re just lucky.
Leave a Reply