Do cohorts matter for social media use?
Background
image credit: Shutterstock
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tiktok...these social media platforms have contributed immensely in helping users worldwide build and maintain networks. They also offer tremendous opportunities for brands and advertisers to reach to their potential customers. But first, they need to understand how people use social media.
Today, social media is no longer an exclusive territory for the younger generation (Millennials and Generation X), as more and more Baby-boomers participate in the heyday for hashtags and status updates. As a result, Baby-boomers should be considered on a par with Millennials when it comes to analyzing social media usage patterns and understanding the underlying motivations and gratifications.
Research Question
For Baby-boomers and Millennials:
What is the current role that social media plays in consumers’ lives?
What are the underlying motivations and gratifications for social media use?
Our Strategy
Step 1: Conduct secondary research on the potential gratifications and motivations behind people's social media usage.
Step 2: Conduct interviews on Baby-boomers and Millennials social media users to understand their specific social media usage patterns and underlying reasons.
Sample
A total of 17 one-on-one interviews were conducted, including 9 Baby-boomers and 8 Millennials.
Interview Questions
Here is a sample interview transcript
(password: zoejingxu)
What social media do you use and why?
How social media fits into your days?
When do you use social media?
How frequently do you check/post on it?
What do you "do" on social media?
What type of device do you use?
Where and on what occasions do you use social media? (e.g., while walking?)
What usually happen before, during and after you post something on social media?
How do you feel about people viewing your posts?
What do you think of...
Do you think other people use social media the same way as you do?
What makes you feel that way? Examples?
Have you used X social media today?
Tell me about that experience.
How often do you check it?
Do you use it to communicate, share ideas, express feelings, check for updates/information?
What do you like the most about it?
Tell me a particular good/bad experience on social media.
Do you remember noticing any ad/brand on social media?
......
Key Findings
When and where: what are the occasions where people use social media?
Millennials use social media more as a "push activity” whereby the main point of entrance is the notifications on their mobile phones, or a “filler activity” for whenever they have time to spare or are bored.
Social media for Baby-boomers is more like a "pull activity" - they actively seek out the time to update themselves on what is going on in their social media world.
Why: what are the underlying motivations?
Baby-boomers and Millennials use social media for similar purposes:
Conversation and socializing
Seeking and sharing information with acquaintances
Entertainment, passing time and relaxation
Work-oriented motives
Self-expression and a platform for creation
What: the gratifications gained from social media use
Again, Baby-boomers and Millennials obtain similar gratifications through social media usage:
The need to be cared and loved – social and affection needs
The need to let off – venting negative feelings
The need to be affirmed – recognition needs
The need to have fun! – entertainment needs
The need to learn – cognitive needs
Implications
Social media is a powerful tool to deliver brand and product information to consumers. However, depending on who you are targeting at, you might consider tailoring your messages to better fit into your target audiences' usage patterns and fulfill their specific needs.
Delivery
This study was delivered as a report on ADV582 class in Fall 2015 semester at the Advertising Department of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.