The definition of the Monkeysphere (also known as Dunbar’s number) is “the suggested cognitive limit to the number of people with whom one can maintain stable social relationships.” In other words, there is a number of other people that you can know and relate to at any given time – either in real life and social media, and that number is somewhere between 120-150.
That means anyone outside of your monkeysphere don’t actually register as people to you – they’re more like SIMS characters or movie extras. Do your real friends get lost in your sea of hundreds or even a thousand Facebook friends? Are you even able to keep up with all of the tweets that your hundreds of Twitter connections make? If you find yourself overwhelmed by your social media accounts, it may be because you have exceeded your Monkeysphere!
4 Ways Brands Can Mind the Monkeysphere
- Be a Good Friend: Friends don’t just talk AT their friends, they have conversations. They listen, they react, they respond and they change.
- Be Patient: Over posting will oust you from the Monkeysphere of most consumers quickly.
- Be Opportunistic: Hop on trends and take advantage of world events to showcase how you fit into the world. Become part of the conversation.
- Be Unique: Have a voice that is unique to your brand but don’t want to be the nutty aunt or political pundit.
“Every man that advertises his own excellence should write with some consciousness of a character which dares to call the attention of the publick. He should remember that his name is to stand in the same paper with those of the King of Prussia and the Emperor of Germany, and endeavour to make himself worthy of the association.” – Samuel Johnson, 1759
Nearly 400 years later, this advice still stands and with the above strategies, you can both mind the Monkeysphere and make your brand worthy of public consumption and excellence.