What is dark social? Why does it matter? What is the impact of private networks on public opinion? Is there a way to track or measure dark social? Our friends at Hook Research produced this video - featuring our own Jonathan Sebire (Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer) - as part of their excellent Talking Human series.
'Dark Social' describes activity that takes place on social media behind privacy settings, and which cannot be measured by conventional social media analytics. Thanks to the proliferation of messaging apps and increased awareness of privacy settings on Facebook, dark social is now a larger and more active space than public social media channels like Twitter.
Signify are especially interested in dark social because it is the place where extreme ideas and thoughts go unchallenged, finding acceptance with large groups of like-minded individuals before entering the mainstream. It is impossible to understand the increasing influence of nationalist ideas and groups without tracing their work on dark social.
You can read more about Dark Social and subscribe to the excellent Talking Human series via the Hook Research blog