Influence of Social Media on Consumer Behaviour - Dissertation Example

Download file to see previous pages The developed markets of North America, Europe, and Oceania present the highest penetration for the Internet, and Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America present prolific growth rates for Internet penetration. In addition, computer hardware constantly presents increasing sophistication at lower prices, and tablet computers promise to enable connectivity at all times for everyone. Thus, we now live in a ubiquitous computing age in which nearly everyone will have a number of devices with a capacity for connecting to the Internet. Web 2.0 is about writing, word of mouth, conversations, amateurs, communities, and sharing. Social media sites, including Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and user-generated content servers, such as YouTube now attract all those with Internet connectivity, especially the younger generation.

Because consumers can now share their experiences with brands, products, and services on social media and present user-generated content, online narratives help individual consumers make sense of consumption and decide about brands, products, and services. In addition, social media shifts individual time-styles for consumers to emphasize decision-making, analysis of their needs, entertainment, and relaxation rather than thinking about how best to satisfy their needs, desires, and wants by providing rapid access to information about brands, products, and services. Consumers now influence others and narratives presented by other consumers influence individual consumers.

This dissertation uses a predominantly qualitative approach to examine closely how user-generated content and social media influences consumer behavior in the age of ubiquitous computing. A literature review presents important themes from the latest scholarly research and interviews with a group of consumers to provide insights to build on the understanding of the impact of social media and user-generated content on consumer behavior. A qualitative approach is fitting because the topic of research is information-rich and a need exists to build mental models and understanding prior to proceeding to examine specific aspects using mixed-method research techniques.

Research into the topic of discussion suggests that social media and user-generated content influences consumer behavior by presenting informational and utilitarian reinforcers accessible to all, electronic word of mouth, a capacity for presenting the views of the consumers, and a capacity for consumer interactions with brands. Users trust their peers and this leads to social media influencing the propagation of ideas in societies, consumer behavior, markets, and those that create brands. Now the marketplace has become a preeminent source of mythic and symbolic resources through which people who are predominantly consumers construct narratives of identity. Consumers connected to the Internet now actively rework and transform symbolic meanings, and they transform their symbolic boundaries through an ongoing opposition to dominant lifestyle norms and mainstream consumer sensibilities. However, whilst social media has not yet attained the status of being a strong and robust marketing tool, brands can successfully engage with consumers on social media.

In the present day and age, consumers indulge in what some call “consumer-generated branding” even if the number of passive spectators on social media is far more than those that create user-generated content. ...Download file to see next pages Read More