Have We Become Prisoners of Social Media?

The acceleration of digitalization during the pandemic left brands almost captive to social media channels. In addition to brands that concentrated their digitalization efforts on social media platforms, those that traditionally reached their target audiences through conventional sales channels were also forced to adapt to this change. This rapid transformation brought with it many question marks regarding the proper use of social media.

April 10, 2020 was recorded as the first date when curfews were implemented in Turkey due to the coronavirus. Research reports reflected that, parallel to the restrictions that continued from this date onward, the time the Turkish public spent on social media while staying at home increased. According to the Digital 2020 report prepared jointly by We Are Social and Hootsuite, we spend an average of 7 hours and 29 minutes per day on the internet. In Digital 2019, this figure was 7 hours. In 2019, of our 7 hours of daily internet usage, we spent 2 hours and 46 minutes on social media, 3 hours and 9 minutes watching television, and 1 hour and 15 minutes listening to music. During the pandemic, the additional 29 minutes of internet usage shifted toward digital channels. In 2020, we allocated 4 hours to social media, 1 hour and 21 minutes to listening to music, and 2 hours and 8 minutes to television. These findings show that the time devoted to television is still considerable, while also revealing that the decrease in viewing time has shifted toward social media channels.

Digital channels, to which we dedicate one-third of our day, have attracted greater attention from brands and led to increased investments. In Turkey, where 64 percent of the population are social media users, Instagram—the most popular platform—and influencers are experiencing a golden age in digital advertising marketing. Under these circumstances, the proper planning and execution of brands’ digital advertising have become one of the most critical aspects of communication. Alongside brands that implement projects with high-quality content and the right names in digital marketing, unfortunately, we have also seen brands that became the target of backlash as victims of poor communication.

The pandemic period answered questions about what brands should pay attention to in their social media communication, while also demonstrating that new platforms such as TikTok should not be overlooked. In digital communication, the concept of brand loyalty has become more valuable than ever. Brands realized that they should avoid establishing communication solely focused on sales with their target audiences. With this shift, it also became clear that brands must act more sensitively than ever in the digital landscape. Instead of sales-driven content that creates a negative impact on users, brands should adopt a content-focused communication approach that understands the consumer’s language, meets their needs, and contributes to long-term sales. The face chosen by the brand for advertising should be as sincere as the content and language used—consisting of individuals who are well-liked within society and close to the target audience. Today, it is difficult to step back from where digital has arrived; what matters in the coming period is anticipating what awaits us and planning accordingly.

We Are Social & Hootsuite: https://wearesocial.com/digital-2020

Author: Esra Can Sinav