THE INTERNET

Some of the top digital myths you should definitely stop believing

By our News Team | 2023

Marketers must base their strategy decisions on digital facts, not commonly held beliefs. Here are a few such myths that have been debunked.

The internet is filled with lists of dos, don’ts and myths regarding what to believe in the digital world. Using its 2023 Digital Report, Meltwater has compiled a list of the most common myths – and debunked them.

Among them:

Myth: Media users can’t stand advertising and marketing

Wrong! Social media users’ attitudes towards advertising and marketing have changed in recent years. Internet users have reported feeling more represented and seen in the advertising they are exposed to. This is a positive development, with a 9.3% increase in the year-on-year attitude towards how positive advertising is perceived by users. This positive development can be attributed to advertisements being tailored to the individual preferences of users, using certain social media tools.

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Photo by Cottonbro Studio from Pexels

Myth: Online shopping is the ‘new normal’

False! The Covid-19 pandemic caused havoc, with restrictions forcing many transactions from the physical world into the digital sphere. Therefore, online shopping experienced a huge spike but this, however, did not last. With restrictions being lifted and ultimately coming to an end, e-commerce purchases of consumer goods have declined. There was a general decline in internet users that engaged in e-commerce activities, declining by 1.5% in comparison to the previous year. 

Myth: Brands are spending less on their social media marketing budgets

Disproven! A common misconception seems to be that social media marketing budgets have decreased, when in reality quite the opposite has occurred. The total ad spend across all offline and online channels is US$45.24-billion, with 82.7% of that total ad spend ($37.42bn) spent on digital ads. Not only is most ad spend allocated to digital ads, but there has been a 12.8% year-on-year growth in digital ad spend ($4.3bn). For example, 56.52% of African organisations planned to increase their social media budget in 2023.

Myth: Social media users don’t trust influencers

They do! Influencers play an important role in most social media activity, with users looking to influencers for inspiration, guidance, recommendations and warnings. It has been found that nine out of 10 consumers are more likely to trust influencers, rather than traditional or celebrity advertisements and endorsements. Influencers are better positioned to provide personalised advice and insight, knowing exactly who their target audience is and what they want to hear and see. Recent research has shown that influencer marketing will become more important as customers and brands collaborate more closely with influencers.

Myth: People are spending more time on the internet

Wrong! Despite more and more people being connected to the internet, the average daily internet usage time has decreased by 6.7%, which is roughly 30 minutes less than in 2022.

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