Wachanga’s Second Friday
In my summary of this week’s chapter, I started by stating that research in social media and strategic communication helps professionals understand whether their content and strategies are actually working.
But in course of the week, I have been reflecting on these questions: why do we share? What motivates us to share? Do we share to connect or to cash in or both? Or maybe just to show off? I know this sounds awful, but I am referring to our identity performance, that is, how we show our values, signal our tastes, which is the way human beings have always communicated their status or sense of belonging.
But to share is to spread. Unlike when spreading the media was top-down (think traditional broadcasting etc.), social media spreads sideways especially because audiences/consumers/followers choose to share.
Sharing is content’s oxygen. When sharing stops, the oxygen supply is halted, and content becomes invisible and irrelevant. It dies. If it doesn’t spread, it quietly stops to matter.
To share is also to participate in embellishing the content because the process of sharing offers feedback to the creator. Conversations about content reveals what audience care about, and how they interpret the content. In this process, creators build relationships with audiences who become co-creators because they help in making the message matter.
If creators of content have economic intentions, audiences/sharers are driven by social reasons when sharing content. When we share content, our intention is not to help the creator make money. We share what we consider to be a resource or a gift to a friend (friend is here broadly defined). Creators often see media as a product; consumers/ audiences see or experience it as a gift. Promoting someone else’s economic interest is rarely the point among everyday users. Users value their friends more than they value producers. Sharing works best when a) content has social value to the person sharing it, and b) when it creates economic value for the creator
The tension between gift and commodity, expression and promotion, is at the core of social media research.
Wachanga @ February 6, 2026
Thank you for sharing this. I really like the way you broke down why people share and how sharing becomes part of identity and connection. The idea that sharing is the “oxygen” of content really stuck with me, especially because it explains why engagement matters so much more than just posting. I also hadn’t thought about the tension you described between sharing as a gift for our friends and content as a product for creators. That really helps me see social media research from a different angle.
I love this approach. Lately, I’ve been talking with my friends and actually breaking down “why” people post. What I’ve found is exactly what you said. It is indeed more of a show. The ages of 17-25 currently find themselves showing off trends that do well online. So vacations, new personal items, or accomplishments.
With the rise of content creation and monetization, creators have been more intentional on what trending and controversial topics they address in order to make money for themselves. Reason being, they know certain topics will lead to negative interactions or simply be relatable.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the content I consume online, who I watch, who I share, and why. I find it interesting how now wit “influencing culture” there’s an expectation that influencers share their political beliefs with their audiences. Some people have an expectation that these influencers use their platform where others are looking to see if they’re lining pockets of someone with morals that are opposite of their own. I think to some level this shows there’s an awareness of creators monetizing content and consumption fueling it.
This is a great example on how sharing on social media is less about promoting creators and more about connection and belonging. Sharing turns audiences into active participants, shaping content through conversation and feedback. The tension between content as a product for creators and a gift for users helps explain why some content spreads and some does not. When content feels socially meaningful rather than promotional, it is more likely to matter. Unless it’s a really funny or good promotional video.
I have to side with Kate’s comment- with the “influence culture” that is happening audiences do expect influencers to post their opinions on political situations. And when they don’t – followers assume they side with one specific political party.
Sharing is so much more complicated than we usually admit. It’s rarely just about connecting or just about showing off; it’s this mix of identity, belonging, and self‑expression that’s been part of human behavior forever.