- Social networks can affect our ability to make rational decisions due to the exhaustion they generate
- Likes and comments on platform ads impact our perception of product quality
- Awareness is needed to avoid falling into the trap
A hidden and totally unknown influence of social networks. This is essentially the result of research conducted by scientists at the University of Tennessee. In a fascinating article published on the site The Conversationresearcher Matthew Pittman returned to their work.
To simplify, they found that platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter tend to mentally exhaust their users. This state of fatigue means that they are much more influenced by the number of likes on a publication and can click on advertisements for products that they absolutely do not need.
In detail, Matthew Pittman and his colleague Eric Haley therefore conducted three separate studies on adult Americans. The participants were subjected to various mental loads in order to observe their reactions to the advertisement.
Answers that don’t make sense
The first group was given no specific task and simply had to watch a commercial. The second had to memorize a nine-digit number and then watch the advertisement. Finally, the third scrolled his Instagram feed for thirty seconds before launching the ad. Each participant saw the number of likes related to the publications.
They then found that those who used Instagram were the most likely to want to buy the featured product when it included many likes and comments. It also appears that the latter have made enormous efforts to evaluate this announcement.
Similarly, while most of the participants provided rather rational and elaborate answers to the questions, Instagram users provided retorts that made little sense and in one word: ” food “, ” plate “.
They explain this result by a state of cognitive overload. Indeed, the simple fact of scrolling through your Instagram feed leads us to analyze text, photos, and videos posted by several interlocutors. Something to confuse and shake up the thought.
Based on this observation, the authors hope that Internet users will become aware of the fact that they can be influenced by social networks without their being aware of it. Enough to make them anticipate the risks and avoid buying useless products.
