Old news is more interesting for what it reveals over the passage of time than what it reports. The study which first broke the news that social media websites have overtaken porn in terms of traffic, in the US is now almost half a decade old and it is interesting to note that the gap between the porn sites and social networks has remained steady over this time, despite a number of innovations by the former which are intended to lure visitors away from the latter.
A newer study reveals the same pattern has surfaced again, in the UK this time. Hitwise, a UK web analysis firm which looks at web trends and click patterns to inform marketers, spotted that UK web surfers who frequent social media networks seem to spend more time on them than they do on porn sites.
Whether you're a fan of adult films or an objector, there's no denying the popularity of this form of entertainment. It's estimated to garner about $10 billion in revenues each year. Its influence is so great in the entertainment industry that the battles between Beta and VHS, and Blue Ray or HD, were decided by the demands and trends set by porn. On the Internet, porn sites make up about 12% of all sites, taking in approximately $2.4 billion a year. 25% of all search engine requests are for adult material and 35% of all downloads are adult material. Porn actually was instrumental in developing key technologies for the internet, including credit card sales and web video and it has been driving the development of such technologies as 3-D TV.
I spend a good chunk of my time charting human psychology and how it translates on the web and I know that research indicates that one of the main drives behind the consumption of porn on the web has to do with deep-seated feelings of isolation and loneliness. Without getting into a polarizing argument about the 'rights' and 'wrongs' of porn consumption here I would like to focus on the fact that until web technologies made the social media network possible the need to connect, on the web, was fulfilled by private chat, IM, chat rooms and ...well, porn sites.
The shift from these to social media sites is not so much an indication of an emerging fad (which may pass) as a clear signal that the underlying human drive to connect (and interact) is being successfully catered to by networks like Twitter, Facebook and Google+. ECG studies of subjects carried out while accessing porn and social networks has shown that many of the same areas of the brain light up for both which suggests that both are capable of eliciting addictive/compulsive behaviour in their users.
The ramifications of this are huge for both social media marketers and those who use the networks to connect with friends, make new friends, find partners and lead a digital lifestyle. Social media marketers suddenly have a 'magic bullet' a compulsive need in the online population which has to be met through engagement factors in marketing campaigns and the kind of content which provides the payoff our brains are programmed to seek. Social media network users have a more mainstream outlet for their urges for diversion, social interaction and the seeking of playmates.
This means a few significant changes:
1. Social Media is built from the ground up. Unlike advertising which is a top-down affair, the need to access social media sites is a human drive which means it is unlikely to go away and, like porn which has lent itself to the refinement of visual standards in advertising, it is only going to lead to greater levels of refinement in online interaction.
2. Social Media users are personally invested. Whether they are accessing social media passively (like Tweeter) or actively (like Facebook and Google+) they are totally engaged in it and looking for a pay-off. That pay-off is often psychological more than material and the ability of social media marketers to understand that fine point and use it correctly can make the difference between a social media campaign which fizzes and one which goes viral and gets you the equivalent of millions of dollars in brand recognition and word-of-mouth publicity.
3. Social Media marketing is independent of networks. There is little sense from a social media marketing point of view to think of each social media network as 'better' or 'worse'. They all are there to fulfil a human need. Before them we had a host of different technologies which led to the point we are today. So use each social media platform as a toll and fashion your social media marketing campaign independent of networks, to address a human social need.
These three rules should lead to better social media marketing as well as better social media experiences for those being marketed to. A win-win scenario, if ever I saw one.
An article from
Who Needs Porn When You Have Social Media?
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Content Marketing