What does POV mean? The difference between social media and real life.

From current trends to words that remain viral even years later, social networks are constantly evolving and must be studied in depth to understand how they really work. Do you regularly visit platforms like Instagram and TikTok? Then you’ve almost certainly come across POV.

It’s an acronym of Anglo-Saxon origin that stands for Point of View. It’s not a random word: it indicates a specific type of content. And not only that, because it’s also used in real life.

But what is its true meaning? When should it be used correctly? Are there any concrete examples? Here’s everything you need to know about it.

What does POV mean

The acronym POV is an acronym for point of view. Although this term has become a social media trend, it actually existed long before the advent of these platforms.

Before discussing Instagram and TikTok, it’s important to clarify that this acronym actually represents a filming technique, still used today within the film industry, both amateur and high-end.

It is therefore a term that, in keeping with its literal meaning, serves to provide the point of view either of the person who utters it or of an external person, thus focusing on their perspective.

What does POV mean on social networks

Currently, the term POV is used primarily on social platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Most of the memes you can see involve hypothetical situations, therefore fictional but funny. But there are also real-life stories, common scenarios that we’ve all encountered at least once in our lives.

Users who create this ironic content also tend to put themselves in someone else’s shoes, describing a given situation from their personal point of view.

It can also happen that a person, through the use of POV, wants to express their opinion on a very specific topic. For example, on news stories that have shocked the public or caused an outcry among users.

This acronym is often added by creators as a "defense shield" to protect themselves from potential criticism. Hating on the web is commonplace, and manifests itself in a wide variety of ways.

Clarifying that what you’re expressing is actually your own opinion isn’t wrong: you can never be too careful. Especially when you consider how difficult the hate some users can spread through simple comments can be.

How to create a POV on social media

POV is, therefore, a very popular narrative format on social media, which allows you to directly engage the user, putting them at the center of the scene. This type of content is particularly popular on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, where emotional engagement and interaction with the audience are crucial to attracting attention.

To create a successful POV, it’s important to follow a few key steps.

• Have a clear idea of the message you want to convey and how you want the audience to feel. For example, you can choose to tell a romantic, dramatic, or funny story.
• The POV format requires the user to be treated as a protagonist: the camera simulates the viewer’s point of view, making the experience more immersive. This can be achieved by shooting videos in the first person or directly addressing the viewer, as if they were part of the scene.
• To optimize the effectiveness of a POV, it’s essential to pay attention to the sound and image quality. Music and sound effects play an important role in intensifying the emotion and making the content even more realistic.
• Timing is crucial: POVs work best when they’re short and concise, with a fast narrative pace that keeps the viewer’s attention.

Some examples of POVs on social networks

To create a successful POV, it’s important to put yourself in the shoes of the average user and describe a situation anyone might encounter in their everyday lives.

To get a clear idea or find the right inspiration, it can be helpful to open any social network and search for the word POV in the search bar. To help you out, we’ve provided some useful POV examples that you can replicate.

A first example is the classic "POV - I’m your girlfriend/boyfriend," which depicts an episode that could happen between a couple. For example, "POV: I’m your girlfriend and every 5 minutes I bother you while you play PlayStation," where the boyfriend is addicted to video games and the girlfriend bothers him to get him to stop.

Or why not, a classic "POV: I’m your girlfriend and I’m pretending not to be jealous... but I know exactly who you liked," where you play the role of the jealous girlfriend over her boyfriend’s suspicious behavior on social media.

Another POV example could be "POV: When you forget what you were looking for and your feed gets stuck on loading." In this case, you show the classic scenario where you get up to look for an item, get to your room, and forget what you needed.

Why not show a family scene? An effective POV could be one where you show what it’s like to have small children at home who wake you up wanting to play, even if it’s Sunday and you’re resting.

Finally, you could consider a POV video featuring a classic school episode, an ideal way to engage the younger audience on Instagram or TikTok.

In short, the examples are endless and can truly relate to any time of day, in any place or context. It’s up to you to find the right inspiration and create a POV that will conquer social networks.

What does POV mean beyond social networks

As mentioned, POV has only been directly connected to social networks in recent years. In reality, it has much deeper roots and has over time become a means of entertainment even in the film industry.

Here, POV is also known as "subjective." This filming technique consists of framing the scene from the point of view of the character in question.

By doing so, the audience will see the scene as if it were being "filmed" by the protagonist or a generic character in the film, thus creating the impression of greater introspection (not just visual). Therefore, they will have the pleasure of seeing the field of vision through the protagonist’s eyes, in short.

It is sometimes used by directors and screenwriters to increase the hype surrounding a particular moment in the film. It shouldn’t be assumed that the POV protagonist is clarified, which positively contributes to the suspense.

One of the purest models of first-person visual representation is the film "Woman in the Lake" (1947), directed by and starring Robert Montgomery. Halfway between noir and detective fiction, its main peculiarity lies in the way it was shot; for almost the entire duration of the film, in fact, the only shot used is the subjective one.

Each scene is thus shown by the director from the protagonist’s point of view, allowing the audience to identify with him. His face is shown only at the beginning of the film, during its middle, and in the final scene.

Paradoxically, although it is an interesting case study, the film’s authors did not achieve the desired effect. Since there is no clearly visible figure, the audience presumably had some difficulty recognizing and associating certain characteristics with the protagonist. It remains, however, a historical debut of great interest.

What is the first POV in history?

Historically, the first hint of POV comes from silent films. The film that pioneered a trend that social media cannot ignore today is "Napoleon," a 1927 film directed by French director Abel Gance.

This technique initially consisted simply of wrapping the camera lens in sponges, narrowing the field of view during filming.

The sponges in question were useful not only for narrowing the surrounding field, but also for giving the audience a sense of the impact and vibration of shots delivered during common action scenes.

This type of perception was not only visual, but more generally multisensory. This trend was then entirely (or almost entirely) taken up by social media, becoming a viral trend, especially popular with younger users.

Original article published on Money.it Italy. Original title: Cosa vuol dire POV? Il significato tra social e vita reale