Information Technology & Social Media News

Sharing plays a vital role in information discovery and management. So how do you tap into this behavior and get your content in front of as many people as possible?

We share more content from more sources with more people more quickly and more often than ever before. That’s quite a mouthful, but it’s true. This sharing activity is not about engaging with content but with other people, with content as the primary vehicle for that engagement. Sharing plays a vital role in information discovery and management. So how do you tap into this behavior and get your content in front of as many people as possible?

Most people join social networks to they can interact with people they know, not with a brand. Social media fosters a group/herd mentality — you learn from and are recognized by your peers, and you rely on them for a sense of belonging. The vast majority of social media sharing is motivated by selfishness — sharing something funny or informative improves your social capital, which is the esteem others have for you and your reputation.

The New York Times Customer Insight Group’s study, The Psychology of Sharing, set out to determine what motivates people to share content online. They found that we share to:

Bring valuable and entertaining content to othersDefine ourselves to othersGrow and nourish relationshipsMarket causes or brandsAchieve self-fulfillment