Abstract
Social media is used as a platform to not only make connections and share user-generated content but also to advertise products. We study the role of opinion leadership on the social media networking website of Facebook for product advertisements through news feeds and wall postings. We found that perceived benevolence of the opinion leader posting advertisements was significantly associated with increased intentions to purchase and also increased purchase behavior. Also, although the Theory of Planned Behavior variables of increased attitudes, social norms, and behavioral control were significantly associated with increasing purchase intentions, only purchase intentions was significantly associated with purchase behavior. Type of friend was significantly associated with purchase intention but no relationship occurred for purchase behavior. Management information systems professionals involved with the development of social networking websites should consider perceived benevolence as an area of importance for interesting consumers to explore and use newly developed aspects of social networking websites. Marketers should ensure that their advertisements on social networking websites are perceived by consumers as benevolent.
Highlights
Social media are online platforms that allow people to form a community to create and share content to communicate and to build relationships [27], [33], [50], [54]
We look at the following proposition relating to our theoretical framework: Are attitudes, social norms, and perceived behavioral control associated with the intention to and the behavior of purchase of a product advertised through a news feed or wall posting on the Facebook social networking website?
As demographics are potentially important for purchase decision, we look at the following proposition: Are the variables of age, sex, race/ethnicity, and being born in the United States associated with the intention to and behavior of purchase of a product advertised through a news feed or wall posting on the Facebook social networking website?
Summary
Social media are online platforms that allow people to form a community to create and share content to communicate and to build relationships [27], [33], [50], [54]. There are several kinds of social media such as social networks, blogs, wikis, podcasts, forums, virtual game worlds, and content communities [40]. Social media is predominantly used for communication [20]. College students use social networks for socializing and for legitimacy in presenting themselves as an entity with personal and professional attributes [68]. Social media helps college students shape their social and professional identities through self-presentation of both social and professional information in their profiles [30]
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