Social networks have changed consumers and business managers, who have had to adapt their strategies to new environments. Sharing content and opinions changed the way users make decisions, how they recommend products and services or how they choose new brands.
The consequences can go beyond the actions that are shared on social profiles as well as those effects that also change the memories and the quality of consumers’ memories. According to an article in The Conversation, the dynamics of memories have changed. They used to be personal and private, but now technology and social media have transformed them into a public aspect. Many share experiences on their profiles and are attentive to the reactions on these platforms. For example, uploading an unforgettable trip to Instagram, while other services launch notifications reminding us of certain days or events. According to researchers at York University, the whole universe surrounding social networks and new technologies impacts the development of memory.
The reactions generated and the impact caused by a publication modifies the experiences lived and seems to tell us what deserves to be remembered. A photo without likes becomes irrelevant, while a very popular one gets its space in the memories of something worthwhile. According to analysts, these reactions on Social Media became a kind of value judgment on those memories.
Even, those kind of reactions end up influencing an element that allows to later analyze the experiences. Facebook’s functions that allow sharing memories, seeking to capture attention and increase activity, became a value test of the past time. In memory, if a user shares and does not achieve the desired effect, they may feel that the memory was not as valuable as they thought.
Consumers choose to remember what worked best, understanding that the criterion refers exclusively to social networks: it is now preferable to share what is thought to be successful rather than what is important. Some memories will remain private and outside of social networks and others will be enhanced in a digital world that continues to grow.