Social
media has allowed new knowledge to circulate on the worldwide web and given
individuals the opportunity to feel like they belong to a certain community or
reference group. The information posted by people who comprise reference groups
also plays an important role in individual consumption patterns because
individuals form opinions or seek information from the evaluation of others in
their reference groups and this is especially evident within the millennial
segment. The reference group to which a consumer may belong to within a social
media community impacts on their perspective of their own identity and
influences their behaviour and attitude (Sago 2010, 10).
In a
study conducted on behaviours and observable profile information within a group
of Washington University students that appropriately fit the millennial
description, it was found that observers used profile information of
individuals such as their photos, friends lists and updates, to form
impressions of their behavioural traits or personality (Gosling et al. 2011,
486). Therefore the information individuals provide on social media networks
become tailored to suit the online community in which they engage with
reference groups, as the cues provided in this platform allows others to
develop opinions on the identity of these individuals.
This
is relevant within a cause marketing or not-for-profit campaign because millennials
consider the opinions of their peers to determine the merit of a website or
product (Smith 2010, 8). The popularity of social media within this context is
aided through the theory of social capital defined by Villegas, Kim and Cabrera
(2011,
69) as is the resources
available to people through relationships among members of the social networks
to which they belong. Social capital comprises of the bonds that provide
emotional support though close relationship and it also offers a wide range of
information sources on different issues though the online interaction with
members of other less close groups.
References:
Gosling,
Samuel, Adam A. Augustine, Simine Vazire, Nicolas Holtzman, and Sam Gaddis.
2011. “Manifestations of Personality in Online Social Networks: Self Reported
Facebook-Related Behaviors and Observable Profile Information.” Cyberpsychology 14 (9): 483-488. doi: 10.1089/cyber.2010.0087
Sago,
Brad. 2010. “The Influence of Social Media Message Sources on Millennial
Generation Consumers.” International
Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications 2 (2): 7-18. http://web.ebscohost.com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au
Smith,
Katherine. 2011. “Digital Marketing Strategies that Millennials Find Appealing,
Motivating or Just Annoying.” Journal of
Strategic Marketing. 19 (6): 489-499. doi: 10.1080/0965254X.2011.581383
Villegas,
Jorge, Mi Jung Kim and Caesar E. Colonia Cabrera. 2011. “The Influence of
Social Media Usage and Online Social Capital on Advertising Perception.” American Academy of Advertising Conference Proceedings: 69. http://web.ebscohost.com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au
I'm really like the details that you provide to the readers in your post. And i'm quite agree with your points such as social media gives individuals an opportunity to make new friends with other country's people. They change their information to each other and get feedback from others who they never meet. People always say 'social networks make the earth smaller than before.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, i'm wondering the meaning of a few words and expressions such as 'millennial', 'millennial segment', 'millennial description'. Could you explain a little bit for me please, so i can understand this blog better, thanks a lot.
In the first blog post, which is an introduction, it does give a definition of what is meant by the term "millennial". We had agreed in class to read the first blog on the bottom of the page as an introduction and then move up the page. Please refer to this blog for the definition.
DeleteI think you have perhaps misunderstood this particular blog post. I was trying to convey to my readers that social media has become a phenomenon in a short period of time because it gives people an opportunity to connect and actively engage with their reference group. When I mention "reference group" I mean the group of people that you are friends with or connected to on social media networks. Either they are your friends in reality or perhaps you have connected with them because you share the same opinions, likes or dislikes.
My blog post is not so much about making new friends but about designing the information you provide on social media so your reference group accepts it. Generation Y in particular does have a need to be accepted and feel like they belong to a group. They require constant reinforcement by their peers and seek fame and popularity. This is why the information you provide on social media sites allows others to develop an understanding of your identity. It also means that due to the nature of Generation Y to want to belong and be accepted by their reference group they are more likely to engage in online activities that most people engage in.
I hope that clarifies this blog post for you :)
The notion of social capital is an interesting one. Certainly social media has made the influence of word-of-mouth as an information source far more wide-reaching. I wonder if there are any studies into consumers' preference for using social media to guide their purchase decisions? This article I found certainly points toward it:
ReplyDeletehttp://proquest.umi.com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/pqdweb?index=0&did=2381895261&SrchMode=2&sid=6&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1334059437&clientId=22212
I have to mention that my blog deals specifically with slacktivism and therefore I could not discuss the issue that you have mentioned about generation Y using social media to guide their purchase decisions.
DeleteI suppose you remember that I had mentioned to you about this when I was initially developing my topic but as I read more literature, this discovery about slacktivism was an area that interested me more.
I have the abstract of the article which is what your link provides and I do find it quite interesting because it does mention that social media has caused engagement to become more "consumer-centric". It certainly has given the power to consumers and in a sense caused individuals to be influenced on a greater level by the group when making purchase decisions.
This can be relevant to my blog overall because I do discuss social capital theory which can be applied to both situations.
Social media whether we like it or not has become a significant part of our daily lives (this is with regards to the majority of generation Y who use social media on a regular basis and does not imply that this would be relevant to the population as a whole) and we do get influenced by the perceptions or reviews of products according to what people state on these platforms.
Thank you for providing me this link. I appreciate it :)