What Motivates People to Share Online?

What Motivates People to Share Online?
Over the past few years, there has been a tremendous surge in the number of people sharing content online. In this article on Buzzle, we will try to understand the motivating factors for people to share content online.

► Monthly active users of Facebook has crossed 1 billion.
► Everyday, 340 million tweets are posted on Twitter.
► In less than two years, Pinterest has registered 25 million members.
"Getting a takeout from KFC."
"Hey, check out this funny video of Old Spice commercial."
"The government should take concrete steps on gun-control. What do you guys think?"

Why do all of us fervently share even the minutest details of our daily activities? If we like a video, we want to make sure that our friends have a look at it too. If there is a funny commercial that is making the rounds on the Internet, we bring it to the attention of our social media circle. Sharing information online has become a routine for many of us, but have you ever given a thought as to why we indulge in this activity. Do people really share because they care, or are there some other 'not-so-obvious' reasons for our online activity. Eminent psychologists, social media marketers, and self-proclaimed 'online experts', all have something to say on why we share information online, but the most authoritative and comprehensive findings have been made by The New York Times Customer Insight Group, in collaboration with Latitude Research. In the following paragraphs, we will try to elucidate the findings of the study, and gauge the motivations behind sharing information online.

Note: Names used in the examples below are fictitious, and only for representative purposes. 

Positive Motivations for Sharing Online

To bring valuable and entertaining content to others



One of the motivations for people to share information is to reach out to others with entertaining or valuable information. Often, we verbally share information with our friends in office or at home. Our intention behind sharing information is to educate, entertain, or pleasantly surprise our friends. This is true while sharing information online as well. If you look at the Facebook wall posts of your friends, you will realize that most of their status updates are usually famous quotes, entertaining videos, inspirational images, funny jokes, etc. As the New York Times study found out, 94% of the respondents said they put in a lot of thought on how the content they are sharing will be beneficial for others.

To define and present ourselves to the world



A lot of people share information online to portray their true self to the outside world. The information that they share reflects on the type of personality they are, and the things they care about. Also, many people who are not comfortable talking about their areas of interest in the presence of others, find it convenient to share that information online with like-minded individuals. According to the New York Times study, 68% of the respondents said that they shared to make people know more about them and the things they are concerned about.

To build and foster better relationships with others



A whopping 78% of the respondents in the New York Times study said they shared information online because it helps them foster better relationships. Today, a lot of people do not have the time to meet each other in person, and to fill that void, the Internet has emerged as a great substitute. A lot of people now 'meet' each other online, rather than in conventional places like restaurants and pubs.

To actively engage with the vast online community



When we share our thoughts online, we are actively engaging with the vast community of people who are a part of the World Wide Web. Sharing information that we think will make a difference to the viewpoint of others, or add to their perception about things, is one of the prime motives why people engage in online sharing. Also, the fact that we are appreciated for our efforts gives us a boost to share online frequently. In the New York Times study, 69% of the respondents said that they shared because it made them feel that they were more involved with the world.

To lend support to causes/brands



When people feel strongly about a cause or a brand, they are most likely to express it to the outside world. The Internet is a great medium to share information quickly and get the word out, and this is one of the primary reasons why people use it to spread information about certain causes and brands. 84% of the respondents said that they shared to lend their support to causes that they care about.

Negative Motivations for Sharing Online


Radicalization: While there are numerous advantages of the Internet and social media, it has been put to some abuse as well. There are a number of people out there who share content with an intent to radicalize young people. As terrorism today is not confined to a particular country or region, the Internet is being used to share fundamentalist ideology around the world. Over the years, considerable evidence has been found about terrorists sharing gruesome videos and images to intimidate people and glorify their acts.

Defamation: A minority of people share objectionable content to malign a person. Their intention behind sharing such information online is not to engage in any constructive work, but to carry out their personal grudges against another person. Although there is only a minuscule percentage of people who share information with negative intent, this fact cannot be overlooked while analyzing the broader picture of understanding the reasons behind sharing content online.

Proving Superiority/Wealthiness: While sharing your success with your friends is a good idea, some people go overboard and share things merely to make their friends and relatives envious. They subject their friends to a constant stream of videos and images of them enjoying a vacation, or posing cheekily with their limousine. They might get a boost by engaging in sharing their 'achievements' online, but according to a study conducted by Institute of Information Systems at Berlin's Humboldt University, such content makes other dissatisfied, and triggers feelings of misery and loneliness.

Proving Intellectualism (pseudo!): A lot of people share information online because they want to be the first ones to know about something. Social media becomes a tool for them to show that they have knowledge about everything under the sun. They perceive, that by doing so, people will think highly about them, and give them more respect.

This was some information on the motivations for people to share content online. As we can see, majority of users make good use of the Internet to engage with people, and derive a sense of fulfillment. Sharing allows them to communicate effectively with the outside world, and helps them in shaping the opinion of others on issues they are concerned about. On the other hand, a few people share content online to spread hate and vitriol, but their actions should not be allowed to bring a bad name to the excellent platform that the Internet provides to all of us.
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/what-motivates-people-to-share-online.html

What is Advergaming all About?

Advergaming, which features in-game ads and sponsored video games, is an advertising and marketing concept that has been increasingly used by many companies to promote their products.

What is Advergaming

The instance, mentioned above, is a great example of advergaming. For all those who are new to this marketing concept, advergaming is a great combination of advertising and video games. The term "advergames" was first used in the 'Jargon Watch' column of Wired magazine. It refers to electronic games that advertise a product, organization or brand. These video games, that are built around the brand or product, are accessible on the company's website, on social media sites, or as downloadable content on computers as well as phones. The use of interactive gaming technology is used to pass on specific persuasive messages and simulate a consumption experience. 

Sometimes the companies may sponsor a really popular game and have advertisements in the game. This is known as in-game advertising. So, while playing a popular racing car game you can see billboards of popular soft-drinks or snack foods. Although advergames have been around for a long time, in recent years you are flooded with a barrage of these video games because marketers have realized that these low-cost marketing tools can break the clutter and reach the consumer in a fun and engaging way.

Advergaming Origin

The first known example of advergames or branded games goes as far back as, the 1980s. This is when the Atari 2600 video game console was at its peak and everyone, especially fast food manufacturers, was trying to cash in on the video game popularity. 

First-known Advergame: The Kool-Aid Man

It was a mail-order video game that was based on the mascot of the popular Kool-Aid beverage. It was released for the Atari 2600 in 1983. Using simple 2D graphics, the game featured thirsties who quenched their thirst from the pool. You needed to hit the thirsties drinking water (which was supposed to help in Kool-Aid quenching his thirst) and save the pool to clear the levels.

Other significant mail-order Atari cartridge games included Chase the Chuck Wagon for the Chuck Wagon dog food developed by Purina and Tooth Protectors by Johnson & Johnson. Unlike fully-priced retail video games, these advergames were produced cheaply and had extremely simple graphics.

With time, technologically advanced advergames have been released. One of the most significant advergames to be released in recent years was by Burger King who developed games for Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles. Developed by Blitz Games in 2006, the three King Games including Pocketbike Racer, Sneak King and Big Bumpin', became extremely popular, selling more than 3.2 million copies in America and Canada. 

Different Types of Advergames

The Internet is flooded with different types of advergames that have been created to advertise all types of brands from fast food chains, soda companies, car companies, clothing, to recruitment in the military. Advergames are classified into three categories; associative, illustrative and demonstrative advergames. The type of advergame chosen is based on the brand image and the message that needs to be communicated.

Illustrative Advergames: Illustrative advergames are a form of sponsored promotion where the advertising messages, products or services are integrated in the games and feature during the game play. Most of the time the products are central to the game play for clear reinforcement of the brand message.

Example: In 2000, Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed game was released. What makes it unique is that it is the only Need for Speed game to be made in collaboration with a single manufacturer and the game featured only Porsche cars. The game was an instant success as users loved the opportunity to race a Porsche and to top it all, the game featured in-depth historical and technical information about Porsche models from 1950 onwards, in the form of videos, pictures and text.

Demonstrative Advergames: These games allow the user to use or experience the product in the stimulated, virtual confines of the video game.

Example: One of the most popular advergames that illustrates this is, Nike's Nike Shox, a basketball advergame. The highlight of this game was, while engaging in the slam dunk contest, a player had the advantage of customizing his/her own Nike shoes.

Associative Advergames: The essential idea of associative advergames is to make the consumer associate the product with the lifestyle that is depicted in the game. This allows the company to direct the product message directly to the people who are likely to use it. The advertisements are often featured in the background and the user is not bombarded with messages of the products.

Example: Crazy Taxi, the popular Dreamcast game features a wide range of product placement in the game, from KFC, Pizza Hut to FILA and Levi's.

Why are Advergames Popular?

The popularity of advergames is demonstrated by the fact that companies are willing to spend quite a lot in developing these games. This is because:

Increased Brand Awareness: Boosting brand awareness is easier with advergames because they are fun, engaging and sometimes challenging. This helps in brand retention. 

Reaches Target Group: Advergames are perfect way to target the hard-to-reach, technology-savvy young market especially teenagers. Many of these gamers did not mind, and even liked the ads in the games.

Popular Advertising Tool: It is not just teenagers. According to a study by IGN Entertainment, a unit of Fox Interactive Media, 144 million out of the 244 million online consumers are gamers. The new crop of gamers are not just men and children, but also women. According to research, an estimated 67% men and 62% women under 35 years, are avid online gamers.

Comparatively Low Cost: Compared to traditional channels of marketing and advertising, like television and print media, games are a low cost marketing tool. Unlike half a million dollars which is needed to produce a 30-second commercial, a video game can be developed in $50,000.

Cuts the Clutter: Another advantage over traditional marketing media involves the viewing time. Unlike television commercials which last for 30 seconds, and print ads which may or may not get even that time, video games keep the consumer engrossed for 7 to 10 minutes at a time. Moreover, consumers can log in and play any time, thus helping in increasing the ad exposure time. 

Goes Viral: 86% of users passed viral messages to another person which could account for the popularity of advergames. So, all that the advertiser has to do is create a great game, and viral marketing is sure to do the rest. 

Helps Market Research: The tracking tools within the game, like knowing a user's design or color preferences allows the manufacturers to understand market preferences.

Advergaming Limitations

Children Not Aware of Adverts: Opposition to advergames, that are created by fast food companies and candy manufacturers to target children, is based on the fact that children younger than 15 do not recognize that advergames are advertisements. Since they persuade on a subconscious, emotional level, these adverts can change a child's behavior.

No Regulation: High Salt Sugar and Fat (HSSF) product advertisements are banned in/around children's TV programs. With advergames, advertisers try to break the loophole and get direct access to their target group. Lack of nutritional information and the pressure, prospective consumers face to purchase these products can lead to several moral issues.

No Declaration of Advertising Intent: Regulations for traditional media demands that the informational content and advertising content need to be differentiated. This was not followed by a number of companies that had advergames on the internet. 

Ineffective Message: Not all advergames are harnessed and utilized properly to send the message across. Even if the game is widely popular, people may not acknowledge or notice the billboard featuring the product in the background. 

Despite their limitations, advergames are a great way to reach out to the audience. Advergaming is a win-win option for both advertisers who get their message across effectively, and consumers who have a fun and interactive way of knowing about new products.