There is something that we cannot ever deny. We are social creatures. Around 3.5 billion years ago, life on Earth began. Since then, we have evolved. So have our social lives. We have come a long way since civilisation first began. Now, in the 21st century, where digitalisation dominates our communication, many of the conventional ways of life have been replaced. Advertising is no exception.
The first time advertising experienced its biggest impact in 1928. Edward Bernays did that. He was Sigmund Freud’s nephew who knew psychology. He understood the psyche. When women weren’t buying cigarettes, he sold them the idea of freedom — rolled in paper and lit and puffed. An image. He shifted the paradigm. Don’t sell a product, sell an emotion.
Then came along the internet and smartphones and Instagram. Despite Influencer Marketing having traces to when Santa Claus was born, Instagram popularised the concept. Currently, it is a billion-dollar business that may change but does not seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.
And what is the problem? Social psychology explains.
We live as a society; our thoughts, feelings and behaviours are shaped by the society we live in. This society has expanded. We are more interconnected than ever before. The dark side of this is the undue influence we are exposed to.
More often than not, someone doesn’t have to tell you to do something. You are in a setting, you see others doing it, you do it. — Zimbardo on Conformity.
Let’s take 3 simple social psychology phenomena.
- The Bandwagon Effect: People do something primarily because
others are doing it. - The Mere Exposure Effect (Familiarity Principle): People prefer things that they are often exposed to.
- Social Comparison Theory: People evaluate their worth by comparing against others who are faring better or worse than them.
Add money to this mix and the result is frightening. A business is made out of the exploitation of peoples’ impressionability and uses psychology to do this. People covet certain lifestyles that they think are happy or successful because that is what is visible to them.
The statistics stand as proof.
31% of the time an Influencer promotes something, a purchase is made. They have gathered a following that trusts.
This consumerism not only promotes sales but also feelings of envy, insecurities, negative comparisons and unhappiness. Even Instagram acknowledges. Examples of their latest updates are the change in profile layouts to de-emphasize follower counts and user activity tracking. Facebook’s former president and former president of user growth have also acknowledged social media’s short-term, dopamine-driven feedback loops.
This is why humane technology is becoming a thing.
Here is an anecdote.
I will be happy if I… I do… But I don’t feel happy or successful; I don’t even remember why I wanted to.
Research has proven that wealth, appearance and materialistic aspects only make up 10% of the determinants of happiness. Take a step back and look at what our goals are. Society — now Influencers are conditioning us to view happiness as a commodity. We are postponing joy for later. This is why more and more people are confused about why certain achievements aren’t making them happy.
The way to strive through such influences is self-awareness. This is what Performance Psychologist Jim Loehr and Activist Jean Kilbourne emphasise.
Many users are opting for a social media detox — there is a plethora of such videos on YouTube that outline the benefits of doing so. More and more are turning off their push notifications as well to combat FOMO. Some are mindful of their usage. It’s the right track to combat this.
We can look to Martin Seligman’s theory of happiness for some help to set our priorities straight.
Positive feelings Engagement Relationships Meaning Accomplishments
The PERMA Model upholds feeling good through engaging
activities and authentic relationships where our sense of accomplishment is rooted at the purpose of existence.
“What matters is the person you are becoming as a consequence of
the pursuit, and character must be at the heart of everything you do and are.” — Jim Loehr, The Only Way to Win
Thanks to Brittany Jezouit and Joe Duncan