We’re here today for a very important reason – to announce some research that is dear to our hearts. Sitting right at Imgur’s core is our vision to lift the world’s spirits for a few moments each day. Making millions of people smile is something we are very proud of and privileged to call work. But in recent times, many digital platforms have come under the microscope for opposite reasons. Many of our digital peers seem to be causing more harm than good, which is cause for any company in the industry to pause and take stock of the situation. So that’s exactly what we did, we took a long hard look in the mirror. But there is only so much a mirror can tell you, before you need the expert opinion of someone else…
We reached out to YPulse, an expert youth culture research firm. They surveyed 2100 social media users from ages 13-35 across America and took up the task of finding out exactly what was going on.
Social media isn’t making us happy. In fact, the more platforms we use, the less happy we are.
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Social media can isolate us, making us feel worse about ourselves and like we’re missing out.
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But interestingly, when we shift the focal point of content consumption away from ourselves and into community-powered entertainment, we see a more positive impact on people’s mood. When you trade the selfies and check-ins for cat GIFs and memes, people are more relaxed and less vulnerable to the negative impacts of quantified popularity.
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Anonymity affords a sense of authenticity that is lacking when people are overly concerned with curating the “best” version of themselves. It is hard to be the real you, when the game is to project the ideal you. When you remove your face from the picture, you are free to breathe and express yourself without fear of judgement.
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Unsurprisingly, the better mood people are in, the more receptive they are to communications from brands. Which means that as a brand, placing your content alongside uplifting entertainment is a no-brainer.
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And as they say, that is that. We hope you’ve found the research as interesting and thought-provoking as we have, if you have any questions or knowledge to share, reach out at hello@imgur.com.
