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Those interested in producing good social media content might find this post about building good map graphics interesting.  

A lot of the content we consume can be described as Fast, and Slow. 

To oversimplify things, thinking Fast is kind of like doing something without thinking.  It's almost automatic---thinking where you don't have to pause and think to figure something out.  

Slow thinking requires someone to step out of that automatic mode of thinking, to put cognitive energy into figuring out what exactly is going on.  

In my experience as an online marketer, pages and web assets that induce slow thinking tend to underperform.  For example, a web form that forces a visitor to pause (even momentarily) and think Slow may also nudge them into reconsidering the value proposition--in effect interrupting the form completion process, and lowering the conversion rate of the form.

When producing social media for maximum effect we tend to think about Fast thinking. We want a visitor to easily consume the social media, and then pass it on.  For the social media asset to be viral, the viewer should want to quickly get value from it (without really thinking) and feel compelled to pass that satisfying content to a friend.

In their post, SpatialAnalysis.co.uk, makes the point that REALLY good content is both Fast and Slow.  It draws the reader in with Fast characteristics, but also offers the option of Slow, more in-depth information that the reader can dig into at their leisure.

The author of the post asked the New York Times about what they think makes a good map:

"I asked them what they think makes a successful map. Archie Tse said what I hoped he would: the best maps readable, or interpretable, at a number of levels. They grab interest from across the room and offer the headlines before drawing the viewer ever closer to reveal intricate detail. I think of these as rare visualisations for fast and slow thinking."

Without offering data I would argue that social media content that is both Fast and Slow would out perform standard Fast form content.  Not only would it be viral, it would also be more link worthy and show better long term SEO and inbound marketing value.  

Anyway, food for thought (slow food?) on your next social media campaign.  Feel free to post good examples of Fast, and Slow social content in the comments below.

Links:

Link to the beautiful map graphic of Africa at top of this post

Fast Thinking and Slow Thinking Visualizations at Spatial Analysis.co.uk

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

Don't Make Me Think: A  Common Approach to Web Usabiltity by Steve Krug