Social Media Consumers

With the a double tap of a finger or the click of a mouse, millions of youth are able to define themselves online in an unprecedented way. All they have to do is push the “like” button. However, what this generation may not realize is the complex motives of companies and advertisers who turn these “likes” into cash. It’s a positive symbiotic relationship between advertisers and social media consumers. Teens define themselves and receive validation online, while corporation owners use this data to promote their businesses. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effects of the changing relationship between consumers and marketers due to social media.
The biggest effect of this new relationship is that most consumers are blatantly aware they are being marketed and don’t really care. What seems like a simple expression online, is actually data used to discover what is trending among consumers on social media. For example, there are numerous pages on Facebook promoting different companies and products. Facebook users are able to create their own profile of “likes” and define who they are online. To the social media consumer, they’re defining their personality without even realizing they are living their online social lives in an ever changing marketplace. These “likes” are gold to advertisers. Marketers are able to read examine what is trending on social media and use it to their profit. In the documentary, host Douglas Rushkoff introduces a young Hunger Games fan who spends hours everyday liking and retweeting pages related to the movies. In exchange for her fandom, she is rewarded with “sparks” that prove she is the biggest Hunger Games fan. She is promoting the movies for free, however, it doesn’t bother her because of the sense of validation she receives from being the movies’ biggest fan. One of the biggest points made in Generation Like …show more content…
When a video goes viral on Youtube, the person who produced the video is bombarded by advertisers asking if they can sponsor them. Companies will send free stuff and hope kids will promote it in their videos. Marketers want to promote themselves on these viral videos because of the sheer volume of people who view them. Teenagers are making increasingly attention grabbing videos in order to become famous in the digital world. Gaining “likes” and views on Youtube makes today’s teenagers feel worthwhile and important, and advertisers are pouncing on this vulnerability. Both social media users and advertisers benefit from this relationship. Social media users receive their three minutes of fame on the Internet and advertisers gain an avenue to showcase their products through ads and …show more content…
One way it has changed is consumers are okay with being marketed and used by advertisers to promote their products. The main reason they are accepting of it is because being recognized on social media makes people feel special and empowered. Also major businesses are increasingly recognizing and sponsoring those who make it big online in order to have a bigger platform to showcase their message. Finally, as a result of the changing social media environment, consumers are determining what is considered to be cool through their “likes.” Some may argue, this new transformation is causing social media gurus to become sell outs, disregarding all morals and values to do whatever will turn into quick and easy cash. However, social media users are just utilizing the resources of the ever changing technological world in which they