Conclusively, through focusing on the specific target audience of 18-29 year olds and exploring the overarching question of: How can social media be used most effectively? I decided to use Facebook to prototype potential still images/ infographics. 

In creating these prototypes I decided to focus on three specific avenues of productivity, sleep and levels of communication that are largely shaped through the social media habits of my target audience. Logistically, the three posts could circulate individually through a strategic schedule (e.g. sleep post – after 10pm) while still exhibiting a recognisable theme and central message. To enhance this unity between the individual posts, I maintained a basic colour palette, text font and layout of the posts. I decided on a neutral colour palette of grey, blue and yellow with minimal text to position the posts as simple, relaxed and reassuring. The intention of this strategy is unlike a bold, eye-catching sale promotion that seeks immediate reaction from a consumer, but instead these posts encourage subtle reflection on social media habits and provide guidelines towards maintaining an effective online experience. 

Prototype 1

Prototype 2

Prototype 3

Facebook P1

Facebook P2

Facebook P3

As a whole, I found this Assignment to be rather engaging and insightful as to how social media content can originate. Although sometimes tedious, the process of selecting a question, researching, refining and creating a prototype certainly provoked insight into marketing messages, consumers online habits and the function of social media. Further, this assignment has reinforced my initial goals surrounding helpful and meaningful online content creation particularly during challenging times – a concept I hope to further expand on in the weeks to come. 

Moving forward with my research this week, I decided to focus on Facebook as the primary platform to implement a social media strategy. Referring back to the Sensis data (2020) retrieved from my target audience (18-29 year olds), it was found that 79.2% of them used Facebook as their most common form of social media. 

As a platform, Facebook functions as a rather multilayered and flexible avenue for disseminating a message online. As it has evolved over the years, gaining traction among a vast range of demographics who all engage with the app for different purposes. Facebook allows for various forms of communication both formal (articles, news reports) and more informal (statuses, memes, images) in nature. In creating a prototype post I intend to exercise an almost neutral state between this informative vs humorous approach. My posts will be informative as they’re based around online behavioural advice, yet I still want the tone to remain understanding and relatable to a younger target audience – almost a visual communicative image of Hey! I’m just like you, here’s how I can help!   

Further, in planning how to best implement a social media strategy utilising the interface and features of Facebook – I looked at the possibilities of sponsored content as a call to action or creating polls as more of a user/consumer driven engagement. 

I’m interested in the possibility of using polls to supplement visual stills that run as sponsored Facebook posts. Through this, the polls could extract key information from the visuals to encourage further user contemplation and engagement surrounding the topic – effective use of social media. Poll examples could include;

• Have you reached out to a loved one online today? (Yes, No) 
• Have you taken a break from your screen in the last hour? (Yes, No)

This week, to expand on the question: How can we (18-29 years olds) use social media most effectively? I decided to select some key findings from the Sensis data and conduct further research. 

In particular, I was interested in the negative impacts of social media on productivity and concentration. Considering the current circumstances that see us confined to our home’s for the foreseeable future, retreating to our devices for escapism seems comforting. Yet is in important is doesn’t overwhelm us and hinder productivity, there can be a fine line. I intend to explore this through my campaign and social media prototypes. Although countering this shortcoming or bad influence of the online world, more positively social media is arguably unmatched in its instant capacity for communication – this is a strength I also intend to explore further. The basic premise of this weeks research concluded in three categories of social media impact;

Concentration and Productivity: Social media platforms can become ‘an immense perplexity and efficiency-eater in work performance’ (Hamed, 2017, pg. 243). Indicative of our increasingly online world, British Professor Greenfield (2010) believes the mid-21st century mind might be ‘infantilised, characterised by short attention spans, sensationalism, inability to empathise and a shaky sense of identity.’  

Community, Connection and Conversation: An engaged social media presence consists of substantial communication e.g. between a business and their customers, two people, or a larger community. Communication is seen as a ‘process of convergence (or divergence) in which participants create and share information with one another in order to reach a mutual understanding’ (Rogers, 2003, para 5-6.) Social media platforms provide an extension of this communication.  

Sleep: With typical social media interactions and consumption occurring before bed (43.8% – Sensis data) research shows a negative correlation between this usage and quality/ quantity of sleep. This sleep disruption can include ‘time displacement and blue light exposure from phone screens suppressing melatonin’ (Burke, 2018, para. 6)

Taking on board these negative and positive implications or entanglements of social media use, I intend to create prototypes that promote healthy social media habits and an overall online/ real life balance.

References

Burke, Michael G. (2018). “Social Media and Sleep Duration–there Is a Connection!” Contemporary Pediatrics 35.5: 12. Web.

H. Usrof, Hamed. (2017). “Social Media and Productivity: The Case of Education Sector in Assir Province.” International Journal of Human Resource Studies 7.3: 243. Web.

Kerry O’Brien, Tracy Bowden, Julie Posetti, Gavin Heaton, Sandy Carter, Susan Greenfield, John Birmingham, Robert Tercek, Jess Nichols, and Laurel Papworth (2010). 7.30 Report. Web.

Rogers, E. (2003). The diffusion of innovations (pp. 5–6). New York: Free Press.

Continuing my process towards posing a specific question to explore online, I decided to investigate possibilities stemming from the intended target audience of 18 – 29 year olds, arguably the most active social media consumers. Using the filter programming within the Sensis report (2020) I was able to gain insight into their online habits and interpret both their wants and needs as a demographic.

Notable insight from participants (aged 18 – 29) data were as follows;

• 90% own smartphones 
• 42.7% access the internet 20+ times a day 
• 43.8% most commonly look at social media before bed 
• 86.3% Facebook most used social media site 
• 48.9% think they currently spend too much time on social media sites 
• Q: Do you believe social media tends to have a positive or negative impact, or no impact on the following aspects of your life?
• Sleeping 45% Negative 
• Productivity 46% Negative 
• Concentration 52% Negative 
• How connected you feel to others 56% Positive  
• Q: For what reasons, do you use social media sites?
• 79.2% To catch up with friends and family

In analysing these findings from the Sensis data, I was particularly interested in the impact of social media, and how this virtual world has become increasingly intertwined with our physical realities – for better or for worse. This informed the basic premise of the question I’ll explore through a social media strategy;

 How can we (18-29 years olds) use social media most effectively? 

This refers to ‘most effectively’ in terms of social media use that is a helpful extension to everyday living – promoting fulfilment and general well being, using social media as a resource, network and relief rather than to experience negativity or avoid responsibilities. I intend to expand on this concept in the weeks to come. 

References:

Sensis (2020), Have your say Australia, Yellow Social Media Report, data file, Sensis, Melbourne, <https://portal.glowfeed.com/shared-report/f98c499e-2cfd-4c17-8432-12fa1d4734b6?token=df9fc36c000cb1478205baf09511eb8e&emailVerifyToken=5m3vl72n0>.

Truthfully, in the initial brainstorming process towards selecting a specific topic and social media strategy to explore in Assignment 2 – I was quite perplexed and unmotivated. After the transition to online learning and zoom meetings, I found myself buying time by vaguely ‘researching’ and ‘testing out ideas’, drawing no clear conclusion regarding a topic. Considering the over saturation of the online world, I found myself feeling overwhelmed. 

The vastness of social media content can sometimes make me feel like everything is already accounted for. Every image, every opinion and every perspective. As a society we seem to have evolved to a normalised reality of living our lives online, sourcing entertainment, education and relationships through pixilated screens of light, often without too much rigorous thought to these habits. Applying this school of thought more productively, I can recognise how it influences me as a content creator. In continuing my brainstorming I intend to look deeper into current online habits exploring questions like How can Social Media positively impact us? Or How can Social Media negatively impact us? 

Moving forward with this process, I decided to revisit the goals and intentions I’d stated in my Assignment 1 reflection; intentions in creating helpful, engaging online content and really honing in on the direct effects and implications of social media. Further, I looked over my comments regarding content creation that is informed by one’s experience as a consumer of social media. With this in mind, I’ve decided to explore a social media strategy aimed towards a target audience that I can relate to, specifically within my own age group of 18-29 year olds. This demographic makes up 22.5% of the Sensis data (2020) and I intend to investigate their online habits further. 

References:

Sensis (2020), Have your say Australia, Yellow Social Media Report, data file, Sensis, Melbourne, <https://portal.glowfeed.com/shared-report/f98c499e-2cfd-4c17-8432-12fa1d4734b6?token=df9fc36c000cb1478205baf09511eb8e&emailVerifyToken=5m3vl72n0>.