SOCIAL NEUROMARKETING

Your brain is obsessed with social media. And, believe it or not, that’s actually not a bad thing.

@alexlwall#SOCIALBRAINS

The internet is the first thing that humanity has built that humanity doesn't understand… the largest experiment in anarchy that we have ever had.

Eric Schmidt, Chairman of Google

Everything changes your brainEverything from kicking a soccer ball to pouring coffee changes your brain.

That goes double for repetitive behaviors. (Get it?)

Multiple Types of Brain Changes

Sociological Neurochemical

Sociological Ramifications

“Everything exists to end as a photo.”Susan Sontag

Facebook Eye effect

• Data chunking• Applies to all social platforms• How we see our lives

Sociological Ramifications

• Reinforces “ambient awareness”– Invisible dimension of data applied to every

day life, but not drawn from every day life– The world becomes a global village, where

everyone has access to the details of others’ intimate lives.

• Documenting the experience becomes part of the experience.

• “Social proofing”

Social Media as a DrugThe accessibility of data and the constant, piece-by-piece stream of it makes our working memories lazy, and increases our extended dependence on using the platform.

- White matter abnormalities in orbito-frontal cortex- Linked to executive thinking skills, emotional processing, and cognitive function.

Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) Neurologically Identical to Drug and Alcohol Addiction

Neurological Ramifications

• Each piece of information releases dopamine, which encourages repeat action.– Checking for notifications becomes a “fix”.

• The more stimulus the brain receives, the more difficult it is to parse through information that’s important and that which is not. – Advertising messages become lost unless they

are precisely targeted and speak directly to the brain.

Social Media Physically Changes the Gray Matter in your Brain

Online Interaction Neurologically Superior to Offline Interaction?

• More friends and followers = more grey matter in 4 areas of the brain.

• Only 1 area of the brain, the amygdala, is increased by offline interactions.

• The other 3 are only activated by online connections.

• Grey matter is the layer of brain tissue where mental processing occurs.

• Basically?– Facebook increases

the amount of tissue in our brains that processes information.

• Put that in the win column.

Basically: We are culturally and chemically programmed to get excited

about interacting.• Validation through

these self-extensions (likes, comments, interaction) becomes crucial, and lack of it is seen as a threat to the organism.– No matter what you say,

your old brain loves seeing those notifications.

The part of the brain that is always on is the part interested in YOU and OTHERS.

When inactive, the brain defaults to these regions – basically, thinking about itself and other people.

The brain is so hard-wired for social activity, positive social habits have a more positive impact on overall health than the negative effects of smoking, poor dieting, etc.

Cyborg anthropologist Amber Case studies how people upload their bodies and internal space into the internet, and how “humanness” is produced through machines.

She calls this the technosocial self and explains that our machines, devices, and profiles have become external hard drives for our brains.

Social as an extension of ourselves.

What have we learned that we can use?

• Social is an excellent platform for interactive education, crowdsourcing brand development, and forming a strong sense of community.

• It hampers our ability to remember by acting as external hard drive.

• Our brains are adapting to deal with the constant flow of stimuli.

How Brands (Should) Navigate Social’s Impact on the Brain

Developers

• Utilize gamification (dopamine marketing).

• Include notifications – the brain feeds on that.

• Allow users to share data and discoveries with one another.

Advertisers• Hyper-targeting is

crucial.• Stand out, be

memorable, appeal to the Reptilian brain.

• Don’t lecture; have a conversation.

• Create a community.

@alexlwall#SOCIALBRAINS