What is Contagious Marketing? Is it Beneficial or Misleading? How does it impact Social Media?

Regardless of what people say, humans seek the opportunity to give advice and offer tips.

Jubi Jia

Today, with the discovery of the Internet, people can share and discuss their work, lifestyle, passion, and other interests through various online platforms, which has boosted the confidence of many introverts who suffer from daily social anxiety. And not just introverts but many diverse creatives who contribute to organic content. The Internet offers an Inclusive Platform for people from all backgrounds.

Social Media Marketing and its Impact

During the 2020 Pandemic, we witnessed a major historical shift with the introduction of online education and work-from-home culture. Although online education and jobs are no new development in the modern age, the COVID-19 outbreak dramatically forced almost all companies and institutions into the Digital Age.

Social Media has become a “necessity” in everyday life for maximizing personal and professional profits. Most Entrepreneurs and business owners have found Social Media Marketing to be an effective solution for brand promotions. They generate considerable profits through Social Media Channels as they reach out to a larger market via the Internet.

In the past, it took companies and businesses several months to publish flyers or television ads for their products or services. Now, they can do it in just one click. Thus, the demand for Social Media Marketers has become so high that people have almost forgotten about the traditional advertising professions. And there is no doubt that the modern way is much faster and more convenient for entrepreneurs than the conventional method.

The Social Media Generation or the Digital Age keeps everyone globally connected and informed about current affairs, which is incredibly beneficial not just for companies and brands but also for the evolution of civilization.

However, the primary suspect here is whether this Social Technology is a voice for people in terms of Inclusion in a Diverse Society, or whether there are any detrimental side effects to this rising trend.

Is this radical change of Contagious Marketing in Social Media beneficial or misleading for the human race?

Social Networking Applications have become a part of daily life for Millennials and Generation Z, causing an addiction that is increasingly controlling all our senses. Additionally, we fully understand that no dependency is good for our health, yet many of us fail to break off.

Then, Social Media Platforms also contribute to propagating rumors and lies that mislead people and incite them to fear and outrage one another. Sometimes, the information on the Internet prepares so well that it can obscure our reality. Social Media Channels can also invade our privacy, effectively manipulating our minds. Therefore, are we becoming a Digitally Colonized Society while the Internet community makes millions of dollars on the web? In politics, for instance, how do we know if the source of the “online information” is factual or phony? It is so well curated and presented through media and other online mediums that the reality behind the political ads is lost. As a consequence of falsified news, citizens with peace-loving souls become poisoned. It can result in cyberbullying, scams, and communal hatred.

Therefore, are we in the era of Cyber Assassins? Are these technical and financial powers only caging us into an inescapable prison?

Is this the greatest conspiracy in the history of humankind where the Internet dominates and controls the mind of humans on the entire planet?

Irrespective of conspiracy theories, Social Media and Contagious Marketing influence people in many ways. Celebrities, Influencers, or Digital Socialites pick up popular global trends to engage followers in their posts that build up discussions which sometimes lead to a digital war due to vocal opposition. We call this Contagious Marketing or Viral Marketing in the world of marketers that builds traffic and profits for businesses.

Professor Jonah Berger has spent a decade investigating what makes things go viral. And he is the one who came up with the term Contagious Marketing. The Professor presented various principles of virality for brands to make their marketing campaigns viral. These Viral Marketing trends and strategies have become increasingly popular in recent years, from political parties to media journals to brand owners. Contagious Marketing provides Digital Socialites and Business Owners with Social Currency or Social Capital. And Social Currency leads to engagement because it acts like word-of-mouth marketing.

Social Media and Its Dark Side

Today, most influencers portray a wrong impression about the real propaganda to build engagement. For example, most humans are pretentious beings in general. And Social Media provides a sophisticated platform to exhibit their Social Image in an organized and systematic manner, regardless of whether they are fake or real. Displaying a Social Image that is not realistic is an old human habit. You would be surprised to discover that even when someone expresses sadness, it might be for some brownie points or some Social Currency. Almost everything on Social Networks contains an element of deception or fakery.

When someone is fully content, they will most likely forget to document or display it. Similarly, when someone is grieving, the person wouldn’t have the thought to express it. The display of emotion begins only after the moment of sadness or joy has passed. In times of great happiness or sorrow, you can think of only your closest friends or relatives and not the entire world. In addition, the game of pretension has not started with Social Media; it has been part of human society for generations. And Social Media only makes it louder and more visible to a larger audience.

Yet, an overwhelming crowd unquestionably believes in what the Digital Socialites portray on their Social Profiles. The herd mentality of the general public who idolizes most of these celebrities is tainted with misinformation. And the side effects are an increased rate of mental illness, damaging the core values of the human spirit.

Insights

Along with the radical changes, people have also forgotten the value of true art and creativity that requires time for origination. The world has become one where everything is instant gratification. Nonetheless, not all social influencers, bloggers, or celebrities, have the wrong intention for their audience. Instead, most influencers strive to vocalize relevant facts and motivate one another regarding careers, emotional relationships, mental health, etc.

Despite having such unique advantages, Social Media remains one of the most harmful elements of society. And if the use of social media is not regulated, it can lead to grave consequences. Even though it is undoubtedly helping us build more equality worldwide, this profit-driven organization may inadvertently be setting biases.

And before these commercial activities permanently damage us, we need to awaken our senses!!