Digital empathy: The New Challenge For Brands

The rapid expansion and adoption of digital technology has changed the way people interact with each other and with brands. This change can adversely affect people's ability to connect, empathize and care for one another. Research has shown that moving away from face-to-face communication has caused a decline in young people's socio-emotional capacities and suggested that "generations created with technology" are becoming less empathic. It has also been observed that digital conversations threaten the appropriate expression of empathy, largely as a result of the “online disinhibition effect” defined as the tendency for "people to say and do things in cyberspace that they would not normally say and do in the real world" (Suler, 2004)*.

Regarding brands, seventy percent of people worldwide expect a two-way relationship with brands (Leidar, 2020). The expectation of companies and organizations to show empathy in all channels of engagement is growing rapidly. People want to be genuinely involved with brands, just as they do with friends and family. They want to be seen, heard and valued as human beings. When companies and organizations practice empathy, they commit to understanding people and connecting with them emotionally. Companies and organizations that practice empathy also want to accelerate organizational performance and generate results in the real world.

Ninety percent of people worldwide say that authenticity is key to deciding which brands to like and support (Leidar, 2020). And more than seventy-seven percent of people expect companies and nonprofits to be transparent on social media. Companies and organizations must recognize that authenticity and transparency are essential.

It is through the development of digital empathy that this connection with the emotional state of the end user becomes real. Digital empathy is the use of the basic principles of empathy - compassion, cognition and emotion - in technology design to improve the user experience. According to Friesem (2016), digital empathy is the cognitive and emotional capacity to be reflective and socially responsible when strategically using digital media.

Although a concept little explored, digital empathy may dictate the future and the differentiation of brands in the market. International consultant Leidar presents the roadmap towards digital empathy:

• Step 1: Listening

  The first step towards digital empathy is listening. Companies and organizations need to see the world through the eyes of their stakeholders, analyzing social media conversations, online news and research patterns to identify important issues for stakeholders.

• Step 2: integrate

  The second step towards digital empathy is integration. Companies and organizations must look at their purpose through the lens of stakeholders' needs and values. Then, they must define the communication objectives and align them with the organizational objectives, and generate measurable results.

• Step 3: Share

  The third step towards digital empathy is sharing. The focus on user experience (UX) must be replaced by the focus on human experience (HX) to communicate value, meaning and purpose.

• Step 4: Evaluate

  The fourth step towards digital empathy is evaluation. Companies and organizations must adopt an integrated communications assessment framework, choose metrics that create organizational value and generate positive results, and develop visual reports to highlight results and provide information about the strategy.

Source: “Digital Empathy Study”, Leidar.

Digital empathy can help companies and organizations to build trust and boost the emotional connection with their stakeholders. Issues such as climate change, racism, sexual harassment and LGBTQI rights offer new opportunities for authentic engagement.

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Joana Dias

Strategic Design and Innovation Lab Member, Assistant Professor at IADE-UE and Branding course coordinator.

*Suler, J. (June 2004). "The online disinhibition effect". Cyberpsychology & Behavior. 7(3): 321–6.

** Leidar. (2020). Digital Empathy study. Retrieved from leidar.com/digital-empathy-how-to-unlock-brand-relevance-in-a-changing-world/.