Targeting the Digital Consumer: A Study of the Role of Social Media in Modern Advertising

Abstract

The research paper "Targeting the Digital Consumer: A Study of the Role of Social Media in Modern Advertising" aims to investigate the significance of social media in contemporary advertising and its impact on the behavior of digital consumers. The study adopts a qualitative approach, utilizing interviews with advertising professionals and online survey responses from consumers. The findings suggest that social media has become a vital tool for advertisers to reach a broad audience and create engagement with potential customers. Furthermore, social media allows for more personalized and targeted advertising, based on user behavior and preferences. The study also identifies that using social media influencers and usergenerated content can significantly increase brand awareness and sales. However, the research also highlights that there are challenges associated with social media advertising, including the difficulty of measuring the effectiveness of campaigns and the need for transparency in disclosing sponsored content. The study concludes that while social media presents significant opportunities for modern advertising, advertisers must approach it with caution and develop strategies that prioritize consumer engagement and transparency.

Algorithmic Exploitation in Social Media Human Trafficking and Strategies for Regulation

“…Targeted advertising, also referred to as targeting, has emerged due to the proliferation of social media and the subsequent need to (1) optimize the user experience and (2) refine the advertising methodologies to cater to specific clients' needs. While the former objective stems from the apparent need to ensure user satisfaction with the interaction with a specific platform, the latter objective might be pursued for commercial purposes (Sharma and Ashfaq 2023) and the spread of manipulative information to gain influence over the selected population strata (Hirsch et al 2024). In addition, the use of targeting has been proven effective in performing recruitment for research participation, including clinical research studies (Mühlhoff and Willem 2023;Topolovec-Vranic and Natarajan 2016) and political sentiment analysis research (Sances 2021).…”