Consumers want social media algorithms to encourage ‘goodness’

The algorithms that power social media are not matching consumers’ desire to activate “goodness”, according to a study by media company Vox and market-research software provider SightX.

The two firms asked 4,000 connected consumers what they would “like the most” from their online lives. While the desire for “humor”, “curiosity” and “gratitude” was being fed, that was not true for values like “fairness”, “appreciation of beauty and excellence” and gaining a wider “perspective”.

Why it matters

Social media has become a hotbed of animosity, an outcome frequently blamed on algorithms that serve provocative content to keep consumers engaged, but ultimately yield social divisiveness.

Takeaways

• Consumers want social platforms to encourage behaviorus that can be associated with “goodness”.
• The Vox/SightX study encouraged a shift from the “web of me” to the “web of we”.
• Marketers can encourage this shift by making their preferences clear to digital platforms.

Sourced from WARC