Bridging the Gap Between Social Media and Our Emotions

Social media and our emotions are interconnected. How many times have you checked your Facebook and Twitter account and found someone going off about a family or work issue? You mention the problem or whatever you are angry about and then everyone else chimes in. Your friends give their opinion and starts complaining about their problems, or they might agree with you that you have something to complain about. Social media evokes emotion. Here is a look at some of the ways it pulls at the very center of our being.

Author Helen A.S. Popkin discussed the concept of social media emotions and how they go viral after someone posts something in an angry tone. She sited that anger is the most viral emotion on the internet. However, feelings of joy and happiness were an emotion people also jumped on. Happy tweets and Facebook posts were the most liked and shared of any type of post in the social media world. I agree with the author that anger is the most viral emotion on the internet. If we are irritated about something what is the first thing we do? Post it to Facebook.

Another author, Casey Sherley, took an in-depth look at how the Internet is hungry for joyful and positive viral media, and how businesses should use positive posts and spins to their advantage. According to Sherley, Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers found that when a positive emotional tone was present in social media content, responses were then positive and encouraging. Negative responses were found when negative content was posted. How many times have you started your day in a good mood and someone comes along to destroy your positive vibe? Was it because of a social media post? I say don sweat the small stuff!

Tracy Sestili explored ways to evoke emotion with your content. These ways can help propel your social media content to the top. Here are four examples:

Questioning

Encourage the reader to question themselves. This can be done in the title of the content. Create titles that make the reader stop in their tracks and say ‘Hey, I need to read this article!’

Identify

Identify the client’€™s painful points or business issues they are seeking to answer. Content creators that identify the issue can better tailor the message they want to send to readers.

Use color to evoke emotion

Research shows that using certain colors have psychological meaning and may evoke emotions that lead to desired comments. For example, red may evoke emotions of passion, heat, and urgency. Colors like yellow and green may evoke feelings of safety, environmentally friendly feelings, and feelings of happiness, and/or joy.

Write like you speak

Writing like you speak may stir up different emotions depending on the tone you use. Contrary to what your English teacher may have taught you it is important to remember to write like you speak as it can be beneficial in the world of social media.

Capture it on video

I recently spoke with Russell Twilligear of Like a Boss, a website that bridges the gap between emotions and social media with viral, fun and awe-inspiring videos, about how social media influences our emotions. ‘€œSocial Media is definitely influenced by our emotions’ that is what makes it so popular. People influence each other and change how they feel with each other and the world. It’€™s actually crazy. Like a Boss is about bringing the good out of people. We want to show the world the great and amazing things people do, instead of just bad news all of the time like you see daily on the major news networks. We only post positive and motivational/inspirational things, or doing things ‘€œLike a Boss.’

So, whatever way you choose to share your emotions on social media, be sure to do it in a non-offensive way. Ditch the cursing and stick to the facts or don’€™t post at all. And who said everything we do has to be shared on social media?