There’s no denying that social media is becoming increasingly popular by the day. People are spending a great deal of time on social media. Facebook is the leading social media network with more than 2 billion users. It is followed by YouTube, Instagram, and WeChat with each having over a billion users.
And with the popularity of social media, everybody wants to become popular on different platforms. To become popular on social media, a person needs more followers or subscribers. On social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram, people have followers. On YouTube, a user has subscribers https://howsociable.com/buy-youtube-subscribers/ . These are the metrics used to measure the success of a user on social media.
The popularity of social media has led to the rise of influencer marketing. This is a social media marketing where influencers, organizations, and people with a purported knowledge level or social influence in certain fields place and endorse products. The content of a social media influencer can be framed like a form of testimonial advertising in which the influencer poses like a potential buyer. An influencer can also be involved in the content as a third party.
For instance, a YouTuber with many followers can create content that endorses a product and it goes viral. That means more people will watch the video in which a social media influencer endorses a product. And this can prompt viewers to try the product.
Why More Is Better When It Comes To Social Media
Modern brands look at social media following as an advertising potential. Thus, when a social media user has more following, more brands are likely to consider them for paid advertising. Thus, the more the followers or subscribers a social media has the better.
The notion is that when a social media influencer has more followers, a brand can use their social media channel or pages to reach out to more people. Consequently, a social media influencer that has more followers can charge more than another one with relatively fewer followers.
But because it’s possible to buy followers on social media platforms like Instagram, brands also consider other metrics to maximize returns from their investment in influencer marketing campaigns. That’s why some social media influencers with fewer followers can be paid more to endorse or advertise a product than those with more following.
Nevertheless, the number of followers a social media influencer has is still the gold standard for the influence of a social star.
Time Spent on Social Media Can’t Be Considered a Quality Time
Many people spend a lot of time on social media reading or watching what their favorite influencers post. The main reason social media platforms were created was to enhance social interactions. Most people are spending a lot of time on social media interacting with online friends and influencers. These are commenting and liking what influencers and people they have never met physically share on social media.
Surprisingly, most social media users are too busy to notice their real friends and family members. In some cases, people are too busy even at home to interact with friends and family members face to face. Thus, spending time on social media is an addiction to some people.
Everybody wants to update their social media platforms to get more followers. As such, they are always uploading videos, pictures, and texts. But, spending a lot of time on social media doesn’t mean people are having quality time.
The fact is that when people are happy, they don’t have time for social media. That’s why you won’t find anybody scrolling social media pages on their phone when having quality moments. They focus on enjoying every minute they have with loved ones. People tend to turn to social media when bored or unhappy.
Social media plays an alternative reality role. It makes the user happy only for a moment. It also helps a person forget real-life problems just for a moment.
In some cases, social media drives individuals to the comparison trap. Some people always seem to have more than others on social media. They have more money, a better look, more followers, and more approval. These tend to trigger an envy spike that is natural and social media amplifies it. Likes and followers look like the rock-solid proof the worth of a person on social media. This can inflict self-hate in some individuals thinking they are worthless because they don’t have more followers, more likes, more comments, more shares, and more approvals like other users.
When Social Media Can Help Improve Life Quality
If you’re on social media, you will agree that these platforms can help improve life quality. For instance, you could be scrolling down the posts of different social media users when you come across a photo of a beautiful exotic vacation destination. Reading the post could tell you more details of the destination that may compel you to visit the destination.
Some people are also making a living out of their social media activity. In that case, social media can improve the quality of your life if your work is connected to social media. For instance, if you’re a social media influencer with a massive following, you could be earning a good amount of money from product endorsements.
Social media can also help improve your life by taking you down the memory lane. For instance, you may wake up bored, lonely, feeling depressed and turning to Facebook, it brings you good memories. These can improve your mood and help you start the day on a good note.
Research has also shown that organizations can develop and grow relationships with clients and customers using social media. Some organizations have even dedicated individuals to be interacting with clients, customers, and prospects. As such, social media networks allow for real-time, two-way interactions.
For instance, some organizations are answering queries from customers via social media. Others are distributing and publishing original content on social media to demonstrate their expertise and share links to useful information that bring value to clients or customers.
Social media is also helping friends and family members that no longer live in the same area stay in touch. Some people parted ways after graduating from college but they use social media to keep each other updated on their progress. In these perspectives, social media is playing a role in helping improve the quality of life.
The Bottom Line
Having more followers is better when it comes to using social media to reach out to more people. This is particularly important for social media influencer marketers that are paid based on the number of people they can reach with their posts. However, followers are easy to buy on some social media platform. That’s why brands consider other metrics like real social media engagements. After all, the time spent on social media can’t always be considered quality time. Some people turn to social media when bored and lonely. When having quality moments with friends, they don’t access social media. Nevertheless, there are times when social media can help improve the quality of your life. This can include when your work is connected with social media or when you use social media to deal with psychological issues like depression.