Dark Social

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What is Dark Social?

Dark social is a term coined by Alexis C. Madrigal, a senior editor at The Atlantic. It refers to the way people share content in ways that can’t be tracked by web analytics tools. This often happens when someone sends a link through private messages or email instead of posting it on a social media platform where it can be easily tracked.

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Madrigal also points out that this affects users in ways they may not realize. Many think that by using platforms like Facebook, they’re trading personal data for the ability to connect with others online. However, dark social shows that the Internet has always been social, whether people are using social media platforms or more private tools like email or chat.

What is Dark Social

Key Takeaways

  • Dark social is when people share content through private channels like messaging apps or email, which can’t be tracked by web analytics.
  • Public activity on platforms like Facebook is easy to track, but private messages and groups are part of dark social.
  • To estimate dark social’s effect, use UTM links, shortened URLs, social listening tools, and check direct traffic.
  • Dark social data can help create new content, improve messaging, and make private sharing easier.
  • Examples include sharing through WhatsApp, private emails, podcast mentions, and word-of-mouth.

How Dark Social Works

The Atlantic worked with a web analytics firm to study website traffic without clear referrers.

They divided this traffic into two types:

  • Those landing on the homepage or main pages.
  • Those going directly to specific articles.

Since it’s unlikely people are typing long, complex URLs into their browsers, they assumed this traffic came from referrals. This revealed that over half of The Atlantic‘s social traffic came from untrackable sources, also known as dark social. While tools like URL shorteners and urchin tracking module (UTM) parameters can help track some of this traffic, dark social remains mostly hidden.

Where Dark Social Sharing Happens

Dark social sharing mostly takes place through private, hard-to-track channels like email and online chat. It’s difficult to measure this kind of sharing with standard analytics tools because it doesn’t show where the link came from.

Some common ways people share links in dark social are through:

Since traffic from these places usually shows up as “direct” in analytics, businesses often can’t see where their visitors are really coming from. Knowing where dark social sharing happens helps marketers understand how their content spreads in ways that can’t be easily tracked.

Social Networks and Dark Social

On social networks like Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter), it’s easy to track public interactions, but they also play a big role in dark social.

Here’s how it works:

Public sharing
When people share posts publicly, businesses can track likes, shares, and comments.
Private sharing
However, when users send links through private messages, like Facebook Messenger or Instagram DMs, it becomes dark social. This kind of sharing is invisible to tracking tools.

Although businesses can see public activity, a lot of sharing happens privately, where it’s harder to follow. Even on big platforms, much of the real engagement takes place in private chats and groups.

Dark Social and Other Traffic Sources

Dark social works differently from other traffic sources because it’s hidden.

Here’s how:

  • Easy-to-track sources: Traffic from search engines, social media, or ads can be tracked easily. Marketers can see where visitors are coming from and what they’re doing.
  • Dark social traffic: This traffic comes from private messages or emails, which don’t show up in analytics. It often gets labeled as “direct” traffic, so it’s harder to know where it really started.

Because of this, marketers don’t get the full picture of how dark social is impacting their website traffic.

How to Measure and Track Dark Social Traffic

4 Ways to Measure and Track Dark Social Traffic

Tracking dark social traffic can be difficult since it comes from private channels like emails, messaging apps, and direct messages.

However, there are several ways marketers can track this hidden traffic:

Use UTM parameters
UTM parameters are small pieces of text added to links that help track where traffic is coming from. By adding them to links shared through email or private messages, marketers can see if the traffic came from a specific platform or campaign.
Shortened links
Tools like Ow.ly or Bitly can track how many times a link is clicked, even if it’s shared in private messages.
Social listening tools
Tools like Hootsuite can track conversations about your brand in private groups or forums. These provide valuable insights, much like the best Instagram spy apps, which give access to hidden content on Instagram that your partner or child might be hiding. 
Analyze direct traffic
By looking at direct traffic to specific pages, like articles, instead of the homepage, marketers can estimate how much traffic comes from dark social.

While these methods don’t capture everything, they provide useful insights into dark social sharing.

How to Use Dark Social Data?

Even though dark social traffic is hard to track, it can still give you useful information to improve your marketing.

Here’s how you can use dark social data:

  • Get content ideas: Dark social shows you what content people are sharing privately on platforms like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. This can help you create more relevant content that connects with your audience.
  • Improve your messaging: When you know which products or services are being talked about in private, you can adjust your messaging or customer service to meet your audience’s needs better.
  • Make sharing easier: Adding share buttons for private channels like email or WhatsApp on your website makes it easier to track dark social and see where your traffic comes from.

By using dark social data, businesses can improve their marketing and reach people more effectively.

Dark Social Examples

Dark social isn’t just about messaging apps or emails.

Here are some less obvious examples of dark social sharing:

  • Word of mouth: When people talk to their friends about a product or service, this often comes from something they saw online. These conversations are untrackable but can strongly influence buying decisions.
  • Podcast mentions: If a podcast host talks about a brand or service, listeners might visit the website later, but it’s hard to know where they first heard about it. This makes podcasts part of dark social.
  • Offline sharing: When people mention a product at an event or during a meeting without using social media, it’s also dark social. These offline conversations are important but don’t show up in web analytics.

These examples show that dark social includes private conversations, both online and offline, which are hard to track but still have a big impact.

The Bottom Line

The dark social definition explains how people share content through private channels that are hard to track, like messaging apps, emails, and even word-of-mouth. Because this traffic is hidden, businesses miss out on seeing how their content is really shared.

By using tools like UTM parameters and social listening, companies can start to track some dark social activity. This helps improve marketing strategies, connect better with audiences, and reveal the hidden effects of dark social on website traffic and engagement.

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Maria Webb
Technology Journalist
Maria Webb
Technology Journalist

Maria is Techopedia's technology journalist with over five years of experience with a deep interest in AI and machine learning. She excels in data-driven journalism, making complex topics both accessible and engaging for her audience. Her work is also prominently featured on Eurostat. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Honors in English and a Master of Science in Strategic Management and Digital Marketing from the University of Malta. Maria's background includes journalism for Newsbook.com.mt, covering a range of topics from local events to international tech trends.