Botha And Mills Defines Social Media

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Botha and Mills (2010) defines social media as media designed to facilitate the dissemination of content through social interaction between individuals, groups, and organizations using Internet and Web-based technologies to enable the transformation of broadcast monologues (one to many) into social dialogue (many to many). Social media Web sites enable users to create an individual profile page, search and add friends and organizations, send messages, and update in real time the individual profiles to notify the contacts within their contact lists. Social network sites allow individuals to create unique online profiles and define a list of other users with whom they can connect and communicate, as well as view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system (Boyd and Ellison, 2007).

In the early years of the internet, the usage was primarily based on one-way messaging and to retrieve online information. This base of operation was known as Web 1.0 during the early growth of the internet. The introduction of Web 2.0 which was the enhancement of Web 1.0 provides capability to interact in online communication and participation. This was the turning point of the emergence of online social media websites. Kaplan and Haenlein (2010) elaborate social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content." Instead of users merely consume information online, they can now able to create the content and publish it. Such content is referred to as user generated content (UGC) or consumer generated media (CGM).

Social media sites have the massive impact toward the interaction between business to business, business to consumers and consumers to consumers. The role of conventional media as the platform to disseminate the information on products and services are declining due to the influence that social media possess among the societies now days. As media change so does the marketing focus, which now is more about creating experiences, where one-way communication is replaced by two-way communication between customer and marketer (Winer, 2009). Social media encompass a variety of online information-sharing formats (Mangold and Faulds, 2009). This study distinguishes briefly among the social media websites which includes social network sites, blogs, microblogs, video sharing and picture sharing.

Social networking websites are platform which users can create their own individual profile page, add friends and contacts, post comments and private messages, share pictures and videos, and update their personal profiles to notify friends and contacts within their members list. Also, users are able to tag other users in their network in particular posts, which enable links between users and content. On some social networking websites, it enable users to create or join groups to help users to assemble and find people with similar interest; for example, Facebook provide the platform for users to create fan page or join fan page that already created by other users. Also, Facebook permit users to ‘likeable’ the contents from other Facebook users. Two most popular social networking sites are Facebook and LinkedIn. The target users for LinkedIn are more toward professional people due to its purpose is to create business networking among users. Currently, Facebook has more than 600 million active users worldwide (Facebook, 2012) and LinkedIn has more than 200 million members worldwide (Linkedin, 2012).

Blogs (formerly known as Weblogs) are websites that enable users to express his or her viewpoints or thoughts about a particular topic in form of multimedia elements. Mostly, users share his or her viewpoints in form of online written to other users. Basically, blogs function can be similar to online diaries but now days the use of blogs covering wide range of industries which includes news and views on particular subjects. Blogs provide alternative channel to users to consume the information online instead of mainstream media. Mostly, blogs allow readers to leave comments on selected topic to provide interactive conversation between the authors-readers and readers-readers. Blog sites provide authors with analytics capabilities which enable authors to track the visitors’ location and also calculate total number of users who visit the site. Two most popular blog sites are Blogger and WordPress.

Microblogs are social networking services that empower users to post and read short messages as well as post pictures or provide video links. In essence, these can are mini version of blogs with restricted by the number of characters in the message. The most popular Microblogs site are Twitter which users can ‘tweets’ or send messages with limit to 140 characters. Once the user tweets the message, the tweets will appear in the author timeline and also appear in author`s subscribers timeline who known as followers. Real time notify to the followers on the updates of other users is the significant reason on why people are incline to prefer microblogs instead of blogs now days. Mostly, Twitter users use smartphone that enable them to tweets and receive updates by other users in every second.

Video sharing websites permit users to watch, upload, and share videos with other users. Users also are able to leave comments to interact with the authors or other users. In addition, users are able to ‘likeable’ or ‘dislikeable’ the videos with selecting the thumbs icon. Those only registered users are able to upload and comment on the videos. Unregistered users are only limit to watch videos already posted to the site. Users can subscribe to other users channel to receive notification if there are new video updates from the channel he or she subscribe. The most popular video sharing websites is YouTube with total number of users are more than 800 million users worldwide (YouTube, 2012)

Picture sharing websites operation are almost similar to video sharing websites but with content based on still images instead of video. The site allows users to watch, upload and share image with other users. Also the site permits the users to comment on the image, subscribe to other user sites, and ‘likeable’ the image. Two most popular picture sharing websites are Flickr and Picasa.

Generation Y

Generation Y comprises the population of a country born between 1977 and 1994 (Neal, Quester and Hawkins, 2004). Generation Y is the children of Generation X or Baby Boomers generation, in other words, Generation Y is the children born between 1977 and 1994 (Herbig et al. 1993, 2003; Nayyar, 2001; Paul 2001). Martin and Turley (2004) states that the members of Generation Y can be further divided into three sub-segments, namely: adults of 18 to 27 years old, teenagers of 13 to 17 years old and children of 8 to 12 years old. Variety of names have been assigned to this group, including Millennials (Howe and Strauss, 1991, 2000), Echo Boomers (Alch, 2000), Generation Me (Twenge, 2006), iGeneration, Generation Next, Net Generation, and Digital Natives (Palfrey and Gasser, 2008).

According to Martin (2005), the Generation Y cohort is technology savvy, independent, self-reliant and entrepreneurial thinkers. Generation Y individuals are very well educated and very self assured (Glass, 2007; Clausing et al., 2003; Wolburg and Pokrywczynski, 2001). Generation Y consumers do not like being assailed with advertising and marketing tricks, and they prefer marketer who understand that they are knowledgeable and clever consumers who know what they want (Lippe, 2001). Taylor and Cosenza (2002) states that Generation Y who are children of Baby Boomers spend family money, and have the pester power to influence the spending habits of their parents. They also add that Generation Y are future customers that are vital to the continuing health of marketing as they establish their brand preferences between the ages of 15 and 25. Generation Y consumer spending patterns are on clothes, automobiles, college, televisions and stereos (Lascu and Clow, 2007).

Research Background

The emerging of social media as the main source of information and communication has alleviate the role of traditional media presently. This trend is spreading globally across the continent and Malaysia is also a part of this media transition. This research will be focus on the Malaysia context with regards to the impact of social media in changing the buying behavior of Generation Y consumer. In Malaysia, the total population was 29.3 million with 8.6 million of peoples in the age group between 15 and 29 years old (Malaysia Social Statistics Bulletin, 2012). This 8.6 million of peoples represent the total of Generation Y in Malaysia. U.S Census Bureau (2007) indicated that Malaysian population to grow about 33 million in 2025 and the Generation Y population to increase to 11 million.

Malaysia is a developing nation with internet penetration among the citizens are enhancing for year after year. Malaysia had 16.9 million internet users which represent 59% of Malaysia population (Euromonitor International, 2011). Malaysian spends on average of 19.8 hours on the internet per week, compared to 10.6 hours on broadcast television per week (We Are Social, 2012). Internet users in Malaysia view social network sites 14 billion times every month (Burson-Marsteller, 2012). The statistics for social media users in Malaysia in the year of 2012 state that Facebook users reached 12 million in Malaysia as at December, Twitter users reached about 470,000 as at October (Leong, 2012), LinkedIn users with total of 690,000 and 51% of Malaysian web users have an active YouTube profile (We Are Social, 2012).

Journals by other researchers have shown that there was a significant relationship between social media and Generation Y. The features of social media in terms of instant communication, free registration and rich of information are strongly believed to be the core reasons on why Generation Y decided to be embedded with social media websites. The author had decided to focus on Generation Y consumer due to the facts that this consumer market segment is internet-savvy, thus represent the majority of social media users in Malaysia. In this research, the researcher will explore more the significant relationship of social media and Generation Y with investigating what are the reasons that change the buying behavior of Generation Y when they using social media as the platform to obtaining information from other user. To be exact, this research will investigate whether the quality of interaction, online recommendation and brand communities in social media will have impacts on changing the Generation Y consumer.

The introduction of Web 2.0 to replace Web 1.0 has improved the way internet users communicate each other. Gallaugher (2009) state that Web 2.0 empower users to collaborate, create resources, and share information in a distinctly different way than the static websites. He added that Web 2.0 introduced peer production where users work, often collaboratively, to create content and provide services online. Gallaugher also mentioned that Web-based efforts that foster peer-production are often referred to as social media. The advent of Web 2.0 has enable users to interact with each other in real time by using Web 2.0 as the foundation. The introduction of Web 2.0 has allowed seamlessly communication among business to business (B2B), business to consumers (B2C) and consumers to consumers (C2C) in the internet. The more users are able to interact in real time and without interruption by noise, the more quality of the interaction will be in the communication. In this research, the researcher will study on two dimensions of quality interaction which is real time communication and transparency of social media.

Social media provide the platform for consumers to share their products or services experience with other consumer. This sharing of information can be either in compliment or criticize forms toward the products and services. The transparency of social media has enabled consumers to refer the products or service information from other users. Consumers tend to refer to the opinion leaders in searching for the products or services information due to this are the individual whose opinion and behavior serve as a benchmark for others. The sharing and diffuse of information with regards to the products or services had generate a trend that familiarly call word-of-mouth (WOM) among online users. For this research, online recommendation will be study on two dimensions which are consumer reviews and consumer ratings. Fagerstorm (2010) elaborate that customer reviews and ratings are the number one motivators for purchasing online.

Internet technology permits users with ease of sharing information and communication beyond geographical limits. Brand community in social media has provide the opportunity for social media users to engage each other who share similar interest with pertaining to a particular product in online community basis. Brand community members sharing an interest, which produces affinity, may create a bond (De Valck et al., 2009), and generate consumer feelings of empowerment (Cova and Pace, 2006). These behaviors, add with the level of perceived credibility of specific customer evaluations, make the virtual brand community a powerful, interactive engagement platform for consumer to consumer (C2C) recommendations (Sawhney et al., 2005). In this research, the study of brand communities will be focus on Facebook website due to the popularity of social media users to engage in Facebook in brand community activities.

Problem statement

This research will investigate the effects of social media in changing the buying behavior among Generation Y in the context of Malaysia. The increasing use of social media has shown the high acceptance among users to use social media as a medium for communication and to gain alternative source of information. According to Kemp (2012), there was total of 16.9 million internet users in Malaysia with 90% of this user visit social media sites. From this 16.9 million internet users, research has shown that the majority user will be most probably among Generation Y. This is based on the fact that this population group is being considered as tech savvy, early adopters of new technologies, extensive user of internet and eager to shop (Archana and Heejin, 2008; Broadbridge et al., 2007; Morton, 2002). Although, there are many research which regards to the relationships of social media user and Generation Y, the research involving the relationship between the effects of social media and buying behavior pattern among Generation Y are still remained noticeably low.

In the past, before the advent of internet (specifically social media), consumers had the limitation to seek for information on the products or services in the market. This was due to the only media platform that available back in those days were traditional media which was only in one-way communication. After the advent of internet and the introduction of Web 2.0, consumers are now able to communicate in two-ways communication. It can be in business-to-business (B2B), business-to-consumers (B2C) or consumers-to-consumers (C2C). In this research, the major focus will be study on C2C and B2C. Research from other scholars had portrayed that the function of social media is to provide platform for users to socialize through social media with instantly communicating with other users. However, there are still not many research in Malaysia context that focusing on whether the discussion among users with regard to selected products and services in social media can affect the buying behavior of users who participate in the discussion, view the comment or review, and observed rating from other user.

Social media are widely known for the quality of interaction that the website provides for the users. This quality interaction can be in terms of real time communication of social media in communicating in two-way communication and the transparency of social media in providing the content visibly to the users. Moreover, social media provides the platform for users to view the products or services recommendation by other user in the forms of discussions, forums and ratings. The capability of social media to search and add friends, acquaintances or even company has create a brand community where the peoples under this brand community share the same interest toward a particular brand. However, there is still in vague whether this quality of interaction, online recommendation and brand communities in social media can affect the buying behavior of consumers who involved in social media activities to gain the information pertaining to the products and services. The limitation on the marketing research with regard to the effect of social media in changing the buying behavior of Generation Y in Malaysia context suggest that the area is worth for exploring.

Generation Y Internet Savvy

Since the advent of Internet, it has change the way people communicate and search for information. The major characteristics of internet which are instantaneous, borderless, and flexibility of internet has entice many people to use the internet technology. Many researches have shown that from the population of internet users, Generation Y are claim to have well verse knowledge in internet technology. Generation Y has been characterized as media and internet savvy, trend setting in fashion, being receptive to new products and having the potential to become lifelong customers (Bush et al., 2004). Shaw and Fairhust (2008) affirmed that Generation Y are described as diverse, individualistic, optimistic, realistic, multi-taskers, forward thinkers, "techno-savvy" and at the same time socially active, collaborative, team-oriented, and used to having structure in their lives as a result of the type parenting they have received.

Generation Y cohort are mainly dependent to the internet as a platform to spark their daily activities. They rarely use traditional media to read news. Instead, they use Google or online news portals to get their news (Sheahan, 2004). They have grown accustomed to using the internet as their main way to get news and entertainment (Goldenberg, 2005). According to Lempert (2006), Generation Y is the major use of internet technology, with 12.2 hours spend online each week, 28 percent longer than Generation X, and nearly twice as long as Baby Boomers. Generation Y do their window-shopping online, visiting blogs, and online resources to read reviews of products written by fellow customers (Sheahan, 2005).They use the internet to find information about products and to make better informed decisions about consumption (Alch, 2000). Members of Generation Y rely on computers, the Internet, online resources, for much of the time doing anything for them, and most have never known life without the internet (Oblinger and Oblinger, 2006).

Social media has high significant impact on Generation Y user daily activities. Social media such as Facebook, Myspace, Twitter play a huge role in how they live their lives, and how they interact with their friends and family (Apresley, 2010). Technology has enabled them to connect to like-minded groups irrespective of geography, be they interest groups, like gaming or social network sites such as Facebook (Yarrow and O`Donnell, 2009). They like to "showcase retail products on their Facebook page, get insider information about brands from tweets, connect and dialog with like-minded shoppers on Facebook Fan pages, customize what they`re buying" (Palmer, 2009). Tech-savvy Millennial teens are a primary target for such digital marketing practices (Montgomery, 2009). According to Hamid (2011), Generation Y are the most technically literate and technologically savvy generation with represent 40 per cent of the Malaysia population and this require companies, producers, marketers, and advertisers to reconsider their business and marketing models.

Interaction Quality

People seek for online communication medium that is fast and reliable to communicate with each other. The emerging of social media as a new online communication tool to connect people is due to the efficiency and reliability that the web site provides to the customers. One of the distinctive capabilities of social media in delivering high performance service is by communicating users in real time communication. Mangold and Faulds (2009) states that social media enable instantaneous, real time communication, and utilizes multi-media formats (audio and visual presentations) and numerous delivery platforms (Facebook, Youtube, and blogs, to name a few), with global reach capabilities. They also added that social media has made it possible for business to communicate instantaneously and simultaneously with consumers (B2C) and consumers to communicate with other consumers (C2C) regarding products, brands, and services continuously.

According to Gallaugher and Ransbotham (2010), Firms can now use social media to interact with and engage customers in real time, solicit innovative ideas from customers, correct error reports, emphasize positive and factual messages, fix damages, and disperse viral information like a giant word-of-mouth machine. Social media functions like a giant word-of-mouth machine that accelerates distribution of information (Dellarocas, 2003; Godes and Mayzlin, 2004). Thinus (2010) writes that "Social media is also one of the fastest ways to reach your target audience. A message can reach your audience instantaneously, rather than relying on journalist to disseminate through press releases". Wheeler (2012) writes that part of the appeal of social media is its instantaneous ability to share information, news and updates. Hoffken and Haller (2010) states that social media in general enable worldwide, real-time, multimedia communication with low barriers to entry.

The rapid proliferation of blogs, review sites, Twitter, Facebook and other Web 2.0 sites, has made it possible for people to publish their opinions more frequently than ever before (Castellanos et al., 2011). They added that the ease with which people can express their thoughts and make them instantaneously available on these sites is a key reason behind this phenomenon. Okazaki and Matsuo (2010) states that an important characteristic of Twitter is its real time nature which user can follow other users and her followers can read her tweets. Facebook allows users to write on someone`s wall, send an email message, and post pictures which allow people to inform others of the little things that happen throughout their day, while keeping up-to-date with groups of friends (Jarvis, 2010). Barbeau (2010) describes that YouTube is a real time conversation, almost like a forum, in which viewers can discuss their opinion of the video.

Social media has increasingly provided its users the ability to consume, create and make their content available to a global audience in real time (Ampofo, 2011). Shabnam, Choudhury and Alam (2013) describes that social media are tools that provide people with the ability to collaborate and communicate with another online. They added that social media tools facilitate the creation and sharing of knowledge, information, media, ideas, opinions and insights, and allow people to actively participate in the media itself. In the context of C2C, Mangold and Faulds (2009) states that social media has amplified the power of consumer-to-consumer conversations in the marketplace by enabling one person to communicate with literally hundreds or thousands of other consumers quickly and with relatively little effort. Kaplan and Haenlein (2010) elaborate in terms of B2C that firms on social media must be active in real time in order to respond to all customer concerns and be interesting as well as innovative in the way they communicate with customers.

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