What's Happening?
New research from the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin indicates that the use of profanity in social media videos generally leads to reduced user engagement. The study, conducted by Professor of Marketing Vijay Mahajan and
former doctoral student Mahdi Niknejad Moghadam, analyzed 43,892 videos from 200 gaming influencers and 1,730 mainstream how-to and style videos. They found that, on average, each additional swear word decreased engagement by 0.04% to 0.74%. For an average influencer producing 100 videos annually, 14 off-color words per video could result in up to $79,000 in lost YouTube revenue. While profanity can sometimes signal authenticity or community belonging, it often goes against social norms and can alienate broader audiences, particularly in mixed or polite contexts.
Why It's Important?
This research holds significant implications for the U.S. influencer marketing industry and content creators. With influencer marketing being a multi-billion dollar industry, understanding factors that impact user engagement and revenue is crucial for brands and individual creators. The findings suggest that many influencers may be inadvertently undermining their reach and financial potential by using profanity. For brands, this means a need to carefully vet influencers for their language use, especially in sponsored content, as profanity in such videos is even more detrimental to engagement. The study also highlights the importance of audience demographics, as swearing can be particularly off-putting to conservative viewers and, notably, is disliked more when used by female influencers, reflecting lingering gender norms. This could lead to a shift in content strategies, with a greater emphasis on audience-appropriate language to maximize reach and commercial viability.
What's Next?
Influencers and brands are likely to re-evaluate their content strategies regarding language use. The research provides a clear incentive for most influencers to reduce or eliminate profanity, especially if they aim to expand their audience or secure brand sponsorships. Content platforms may also use these insights to refine their guidelines or algorithms, potentially impacting how profanity-laden content is promoted or monetized. Brand managers will likely incorporate language analysis into their influencer selection process, prioritizing creators who maintain a more universally appealing tone. The study's nuanced findings, however, suggest that for influencers with a long-standing history of using profanity, it might be an accepted part of their brand, indicating that context and established audience expectations will continue to play a role in content decisions.
Beyond the Headlines
Beyond the immediate financial and engagement impacts, this research touches upon broader cultural and ethical considerations in digital media. The study highlights the tension between authenticity and broad appeal, where some creators use profanity to foster a sense of community, while others risk alienating potential viewers. It also underscores the absence of FCC-like regulations for social media content, leaving platforms, influencers, and sponsors to navigate these issues with limited external oversight. The finding that profanity from female influencers is more negatively received points to persistent gender biases in audience perception. This research could spark further discussions about the social responsibility of influencers, the role of platforms in content moderation, and the evolving norms of language in public digital spaces, potentially influencing future standards for online communication.
