How Social Media Platforms Use Colors to Manipulate You

People spend the majority of their day using social media networks, despite what has been said about certain platforms on the news; Everyone is so attached to social media that they have grown used to the idea that their data is being collected, that a FBI agent is probably watching them from their web cam, and that Mark Zuckerberg definitely knows everything there is to know about all of mankind. However, in the era of social media there is still so much to learn. Regardless of how much you think you know already, there are still many other ways that marketers, influencers, and app creators a like, manipulate you online. Even with something as simple as a color, a platform can completely change your mood to coincide with what they want.

 

Colors Influence Your Emotions

Colors are an important part in distinguishing feelings. This is a concept that everyone is familiar with, it is something that you learn as a child in school. The color yellow reminds you of happy things: the sun, sunflowers, daisies, etc. Blue reminds you of sad things, red reminds you of things that make you mad, and so on and so forth; But as people transition from small children to adults, colors begin to have a new meaning and influence them in entirely different ways. According to the study Impact of Color on Marketing“People make up their minds within 90 seconds of their initial interactions with either people or products. About 62 to 90 percent of that assessment is based on colors alone.”  Web designers are familiar with this human characteristic and use it as a strategy online to attract people to their site or personal pages. Each color represents a feeling that social media experts use in order to evoke an emotional response from you.

 

Blame Orange for Your Amazon Bill

 

 

The three main colors most often used in manipulation tactics are: red, orange and blue. The color red creates a strong emotional response like passion or love. It is known for being able to increase a person’s intensity, appetite and quicken a heart rate. In marketing the color red is mostly used to inspire impulse shopping, the same can be said about various online platforms. YouTube uses the color to manipulate people into continuously watching or uploading content. The intensity of the color creates a sense of urgency and directly affects a person’s impulses. Individuals continue to watch more and move videos because of the vibe that YouTube gives off with the color.

Orange also has a similar effect on your mood. According to studies the color orange reflects enthusiasm and excitement. Brands that use orange are described as cheerful or confident. However, like red it creates a sense of urgency and marketers also use it as an impulse buying strategy. This is probably why Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon, used it for his site. The more you stare at Amazon’s logo the more likely you are to want to buy something.

 

 

The color blue is different from red and orange. It is meant to represent calmness, serenity and it increases productivity. Overall blue is supposed to create a sense of trust and loyalty which is why platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook use it for their platforms. LinkedIn creates an environment where people feel comfortable, yet productive while posting their resumes or building connections with future employees/employers. Facebook aims to have their site calming for the individual. They use the color to create a safe space so you feel more comfortable uploading personal information. This is also why you go on Facebook during your breaks at work or when you get home, because its purpose is to help you “unwind.” Even though the majority of content being posted (I.E. your friend or relative’s post about that politician you cannot stand) causes you a great amount of stress while viewing it. However, just because the web giants of the world use colors to manipulate the general public, does not mean that you can’t use them too. In fact, most Instagram users are very conscious of what colors they put up on their feed.

 

 More Blue, More Followers

 

In 2013, Curalate conducted research across 8million different Instagram photos in order to determine what features stimulate more likes and followers. In regards to color, they found that blue prompted the most amount of likes than any other. Blue creates a sense of serenity as previously discussed, and because of its calming nature a person is more likely to be attracted to it than any other color. Also in most instances, the color blue is found in images that contain a skyline or an ocean, all places that people want to be; so individuals really connect with the color blue because it reminds them of places that they are very fond of.

 Red and orange can help in building a great social media as well.  However, since they are such powerful colors they do not create the same kind of connection that blue does. That being said, red and orange do inspire people in different ways, it just depends on how you use them. As previously discussed, orange gives off a sense of confidence so people do enjoy seeing it on your feed, and red makes people feel sexy, so seeing red shoes or a red dress on a post will prompt a positive response; But, these colors can also induce anxiety. For instance, when you were younger if you saw red marks all over an assignment for school you would become uneasy, and worry about your grade. It’s the same kind of reaction when viewing certain content on Instagram. If you were to post a picture with fire in the background, whether it be a fire pit or a fire place it does not matter; it will cause a  subconscious sense of anxiousness  that will make a person less likely to like your picture. Feel free to use these colors on your feed, just be a bit mindful when you do.

 

To have a good understanding of colors and their impact on the human brain, can be very useful in a number of different ways. Marketers have been using this tactic for years, and now it is growing to social media. If you want to learn more about colors and psychology, check out this website: colorpsychology.org

or if you want to learn more about choosing colors that work with your brand, you can check out this  site Custom Logo Cases they wrote a great article about it.