Why do some social media posts go viral while others are ignored?
While it's easier to say that "some posts are simply better than others", there's actually more nuances that you should know about.
A new research can help you understand that mechanism better.
Relevance is key
Researchers at the Communication Neuroscience Lab at the University of Pennsylvania found that people are more likely to share posts they consider relevant to themselves or those they know.
In simple terms, valuable posts get shared.
A recent study from the lab revealed that by encouraging individuals to think about the value of a post, their brain activity in areas associated with decision-making and sharing increased.
Lead author Christin Scholz explained that previous studies focused on identifying characteristics of viral posts, but this research aimed to understand the neural mechanisms behind sharing decisions.
How it was discovered
Participants in the study were asked to consider sharing health articles from The New York Times while their brain activity was measured.
The participants were given goals, such as helping someone or describing themselves positively, and a control group had a neutral goal of spreading information.
Thinking about how sharing could benefit others increased brain activity related to self-reflection, valuing information, and understanding others' perspectives.
It also led to a higher willingness to share the articles.
