Customer behavior summary about social media - Essay Example

Behavior and Social Media Abraham Maslow came up with a hierarchy of basic needs which are divided into five categories. These categories include the physiological needs, safety needs, needs for love, affection and belongingness, esteem needs and self-actualization (Saha 2006). It is worth noting that the second need is only felt after the first one has been satisfied, the third after the second one and so on. The social behaviors can satisfy the various needs at the different levels of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, more so if the consumers participate in social networks such as Twitter and Facebook.

We will therefore focus on these level of needs and how marketers can use them to their advantage. First are the physiological needs which are basically biological needs such as food, water, oxygen and shelter. Of all the needs, the physiological needs are the most important and basic and therefore, they should be satisfied first. In the social network sphere, the marketers can satisfy the customers’ physiological needs by finding out the information concerning nutrition and medicine of their existing and potential customers.

The second level is composed of the safety or security needs which become active only after the physiological needs have been met. Whereas adults have usually little awareness of their safety needs apart from periods of emergency, children usually show signs of insecurity thereby prompting the need to be safe. Individuals can use social networks to update their status and inform security firms such as police and other authority of any insecurity or emergency. By doing this, the individuals’ safety needs are met appropriately.

Thirdly, the needs of Love, affection and belongingness enables individuals to overcome the feelings of isolation and loneliness. These needs therefore comprises of both showing and receiving love and affection from others which one to have a sense of belonging. Through social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, people are able to share love by commenting on statuses, liking pictures and even engaging in online dating. This actions reduces or eliminates the feeling of loneliness and alienation thus enabling them to attain the needs of love, affection and belongingness.

Comparatively, after the first three needs have been met, an individual develops the needs for esteem which involve self-esteem and esteem for others. In this segment, an individual tends to have a high level of self-respect and therefore desires to have respect from others too. Through the social networking sphere, one can get recognition and respect when other individuals speak highly of them in terms of character and behavior. This will make the individual to have a sense of esteem thereby enabling them to have a high level of self-confidence.

Lastly are the needs for self-actualization which are achieved after a person does or accomplishes what they were required or destined to do. For instance, a footballer plays football, an actor or actress performs in plays and films and so on. These level of needs are met when a person achieves that which was intended for them in life. People can thus use the social networks, online communities and blogs to gain recognition and achievement thus making them to satisfy their need for self-actualization.

Works CitedSaha, Jayantee M. Management and Organizational Behaviour. New Delhi: Excel Books, 2006. Print.