In the modern world, it is rare to find someone who does not own a social media account, whether it be Instragram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok, among many other platforms. This is in part due to the accessibility of these social media platforms, as all of them are free of charge for consumers. As such, the companies who own them must find ways of making them profitable, namely by selling digital advertisement slots and users’ information. It is for this reason that social media is perfectly capable to influence, if not control, what individuals nowadays buy.
The average smartphone users has a daily screentime of about 4 hours, many of which are spent on these applications, where they are constantly presented with images and short videos advertising attractive products. The repetitive exposure to the same product can make one believe it is a necessity, influencing one’s purchase. For instance, every year, Apple promotes their new smartphone version, displaying its newest technology and features. Without this marketing, we might not even become aware of the advancements and continue our lives with the older model. However, upon being introduced to the latest cameras, they become a necessity to record and preserve our much cherished memories. In this sense, social platforms undoubtedly impact consumption.
Furthermore, social media companies often profit from selling our data to the firms posting adverts on their applications. This includes information about our jobs, interests, and needs, which in turn indicate what proucts and services we might be most easily persuaded to consume, as well as the forms of advertisements we might be most engaged by. Therefore, platforms not only control our purchases through reptitive digital exposure to products, but also through the tailoring of marketing to our personalities. For example, a clothing brand may share more content relating to suits and ties to a middle-aged business man. In contrast, to a young teenager, it may display more humorous content relating to trending clothes. Thus, through our digital exposure, social media is able to manipulate marketing to maximize chances of it being successful.
In conclusion, I fully support the claim that social applicatives can influence what consumers buy and will continue to do so as society becomes evermore technologically dependent.