You probably don’t put much thought into it when interacting with posts on social media. If you see something that makes you smile, that you agree with, or that you want to share with a friend, you'll probably hit the like button. But when it comes to posting a comment, you may want to spend a few moments curating your response. After all, if anyone who follows you sees the post, your comments are going to show up first.
According to creative strategist and author Laurent Francois, there’s an art to commenting on social media. He explains that comments are about more than just the post itself — they reflect “the nature of a community and its values.” And they have even become “media within media” nowadays.
On certain platforms, like TikTok and YouTube, comments are given equal importance to the content itself. You might see the comments before you’ve even watched a few seconds of the video, which allows them to inform your viewing experience.
If everyone is pointing out one specific detail, you’ll make sure that you don't miss it. And if viewers have unanimously decided that the author shared a bad take, you might agree before you’ve even heard their arguments. At the same time, the experience of watching a video can feel much more immersive when you join in on the conversation in the comments section. It's not the same as watching a movie in a theater full of people, but it might satisfy the same craving.
Francois notes that brands have picked up on the importance of comments on social media too. Instead of simply posting their own content, they’re weaseling their way into comment threads on viral posts to gain exposure and followers. This can certainly be amusing when a company like Ryanair or Duolingo shows just how self-aware they really are. But these comments can also be seen as covert marketing tactics and advertisements, proving that you really can’t go anywhere without seeing an ad these days.
As hilarious as social media comments can be, Francois points out that they can also have a dark side. Unfortunately, some internet users never learned that if you don’t have anything nice to say, you shouldn’t say anything at all. So comment sections are sometimes filled with cruel, targeted insults towards the author.
They might even contain propaganda from bots or conspiracy theorists. It’s important to take replies you read with a grain of salt, even if they claim to be rooted in science. And if you see anything hateful, don’t be afraid to report and block accounts.
According to Squared Media, social media comments are even more important for brands than likes. Not just comments from the company itself, but also on their own posts. This is why you’ll often see influencers and brands end their captions with something along the lines of “Comment ‘HUNGRY’ down below, and we’ll send our favorite meal plan to your DMs!” This is also the reason why companies often post “engagement bait,” or posts with open-ended questions, prompting followers to respond in the comments section.
At the end of the day, most of us just want to be seen, heard, and feel a sense of belonging. So if contributing to the comments section on a viral TikTok and receiving 25K likes can make that happen, it’s understandable that people want to weigh in on every post they see.
Funmi Lijadu at Polyester even says that comments on social media can be seen as a form of social currency. “The extra engagement serves as evidence that content is interesting enough to be acknowledged by thousands of users - for better or for worse,” she explains.
