marketing

Introduction

why is important to study social media , INCLUDED MORE ON THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA

While different cultures across the globe value their individual norms, beliefs, and traditions that portray their uniqueness, the rise of social media has linked people all over the world regardless of their inherent demographic differences and geographical boundaries. The Social media has greatly led to the convergence of globalization and the compression of space and time, and as such the world has been shrunk so that it has become a smaller interactive field (Goodrich and de Mooij, 2016). Different individuals around the world are now able to interact with one another real-time when they sent and receive messages. This is an indication that social media has made it possible for people from different cultures to come together in the “global village” (Goodrich and de Mooij, 2016). Based on this attribute, this paper discusses the uses and gratifications theory, the acquired needs theory, and the diffusion of innovation theory. This paper will pay special attention to Singapore, which is a nation that is considered to be a diverse melting pot of difference races and cultures. The country has a unique identity of honoring traditions and embracing change, and this attribute makes the study of social media and culture in the country very critical.

You start explaining what social media is and why people join it ,then introduce theories what are and linking them together and then you explain them .

You are not focusing on consumers, customers and managers motivations and behaviour in the social media environment you shuld be more clear about this part

1.1 Motivation of using social media for consumers I need to see this part

1.2 Motivation of using social media for managers I need to see this part

For a better understanding of the current dynamism experienced in the online participation, there is need for conceptualization of the areas where the theory of traditional media is aligned with the practices of the new media. The notion is that although the media consumed by humans is bound to change, the inherent intentions and content behind the current use of media have exhibited some level of consistency overtime and across numerous media channels. One critical social media theory is the Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT), which seeks to describe the way humans are actively engaged in seeking out particular media content to be utilized in specific intentional goals and purposes (Peters et al., 2013). This theory develops an active, as opposed to passive, audience, which is capable of consciously examining and evaluating the media as a way of accomplishing some specific results. This theory is critical in the manner in which it embodies the functional communication shift, from the examination of what humans can do with the media, as opposed to what the media can do to people (Peters et al., 2013).

The Uses and Gratifications Theory developed from the needs and motivation theory, which asserts that humans act on consistent with their specific hierarchy of needs and motivations (Bernoff and Li, 2010). Researchers in the communications field have largely agreed with the notion and sought to perform an examination of the typologies of the needs related to the use of media by different people from different cultural backgrounds. Based on this, the UGT establishes a framework that provides a clear understanding of how and when a particular user of media becomes more or less involved in media use, and explains the impact of the decreased or increased involvement (Peters et al., 2013). The theory (UGT) performs under numerous assumptions. These include: the media users are goal-oriented and active in their media use, media is utilized for gratification purposes, media use competes with other ways of satisfaction of human needs, individuals clearly understand their motives and interests in media use, and that the audience is capable of making informed judgments on the value of the content manifested in the media (Bernoff and Li, 2010).

The uses and gratifications theory is an approach that is centered on audience, and significantly focuses on the things that can be done by people when they use media, as opposed to what media can do to individuals (Berthon, et al., 2012). This theory aims at understanding the reason why humans look for the media, and how they use it. This theory is critical in its assumption that humans have power over the use of media, and thus does not position people as passive media users (Heinonen, 2011). The uses and gratifications theory performs an exploration of the way people knowingly seek out the media in fulfilling their specific goals or needs such as socializing, relaxation, as well as entertainment.

The acquired-needs theory is a theory of culture that asserts that the particular needs of an individual acquired overtime are greatly influenced by the life experiences of the individual. The acquired needs are classified into three classes: power, affiliation, and achievement (Bernoff and Li, 2010). The needs for power of an individuals can either be institutional or personal. In the cultural setting, the individuals who desire to obtain power seek to direct others. However, the power need is largely considered to be undesirable in the society. Individuals who seek out for institutions power aim at organizing other people’s efforts as a way of furthering the social goals (Heinonen, 2011). High need for social power is regarded as more effective than the need for individual power. The high need for affiliation represents the desire of establishing harmonious relationships among social beings. Individuals with high need for affiliation usually adhere to the norms of their group. These individuals have a high preference of working in a manner that provides significant interactions among individuals (Heinonen, 2011). On the other hand, the high need for achievement aim at realizing excellence, thus avoiding both high-risk and low-risk situations. The individuals with the need for high achievement portray a greater preference towards working that has a moderate success possibility. High achievers require constant feedback as a way of effectively monitoring how their achievements are progressing, and they largely prefer working with other high achievers of alone (Peters et al., 2013).

Based on the discussed theories of social media and culture, it is clear that social media communities are currently benefiting from decline in costs that were associated with traditional brand communities. Today, it is easier for businesses to make connections with their customers without bothering about the geography. Through this manner, different cultures have been able to interact, where strangers are able to meet and engage in constructive economic, social, and cultural interactions (Heinonen, 2011). This has been a great motivation for consumers to use social media. The characteristics of the uses and gratification theory and the acquired needs theory indicate that modern communities are embracing the need for active posting and vetting of information that is shared through technology. The technological development in communication media is necessitating increase in formation of communities among different consumer groups, which has led to greater impact and reach. There is evidence that social media has perpetrated to tremendous alternation of how individuals interact in the global society (Rialp-Criado and Rialp-Criado, 2018). Communities and individuals have been able to undertake communications with a broader global reach and individual intimacy. This attribute has perpetrated to the decline in space and time that existed previously. Generally, it can be said that the social media’s power is vested upon the capability of fostering collaborations on shorter time scales and new scales than the case in the traditional era (Rialp-Criado and Rialp-Criado, 2018).

The use of social media has greatly helped managers off business in terms of how they communicate to different stakeholder in the business such as employees and customers. For instance, social media platforms have provided instant messaging between the manager and employees regarding critical business endeavors (Kellner, 2011). In addition, social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have been largely utilized by business managers to communicate regarding new brands and developments in existing brands, which promotes brand awareness among the consumers (Kellner, 2011). Managers have also utilized social media ads and posts as a way of driving traffic to the websites for the companies. In participating in different social chats, managers are able to increase the visibility of the business, showcasing their expertise, and getting attention from new individuals and potential customers. As such, social media use by managers greatly boost sales for businesses, and attribute that has the potential of further growth considering the increased use of social media.

As noted earlier, Singapore is composed of a multicultural society that has embraced cultural and racial diversity. The country is known for its unique identity that acknowledges different traditions, but embraces the change associated with the traditions. Currently, Singapore is considered to be a hub that hosts many international brands (Kellner, 2011). Notably, Singapore has been on the forefront of embracing both economic and technological advances, and has consistently aligned itself with the current regional and global news, trends, and culture (Kellner, 2011). The recent increase in the use of social media across the globe has tremendously influenced and reshaped the manner in which the citizens of Singapore collaborate, work, and consume information, particularly within the sectors such as communications and marketing (Mathews et al., 2016).

Social media giants such as Facebook and WhatsApp have remained to be commonly utilized social media platforms in Singapore, and they have greatly helped consumers and businesses regarding how they access and sell products (Heinonen, 2011). Statistics indicate that the country has over 2.4 million users every day. Due this attribute, consumers and businesses in the country have utilized social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, which has proved to be critical in improving company brands in the saturated and competitive marketplace (Trainor et al., 2014). Because the country embraces change and is always on the forefront of encouraging use of technologies, businesses have greatly embraced diversification in the outreach in social media platforms, with Instagram, LinkedIn, as well as other mobile messaging application on the rise (Rialp-Criado and Rialp-Criado, 2018). The country is expected to witness more brands engaging in use of mobile messaging platforms as a way of connecting with customers beyond the use of common platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.

Using your research of what is known from the literature about social media discussed in point 1, YOU SHOULD critically evaluate AND USE RELEVANT CULTURE THOERY THAT WIIL EXPLAIN MOTIVATION AND BEHAVIOUR IN SOCIAL MEDIA IN Singapore.

So, the cultural theories that need to be relevant to explain why consumers, why companies behave or why they use the social media in the way that you use. That can be cultural theories, can be element of the culture, can be religion, can be language that explain the social media on motivations and behaviours in Singapore for both consumers and companies, for example: why consumers and companies in the country that you selected behave why they use social media?.

This part is not explaing what is written above in details you should be more critically evaluate the theory that will explain MOTIVATION AND BEHAVIOUR IN SOCIAL MEDIA IN Singapore

As noted earlier, social media has been an integral part of Singaporeans because it has promoted interdependence and interconnectedness of the culturally diverse nation. In this regard, social media has been utilized as a social interaction tool whereby people have communicated and engaged with information that has been transferred across the Internet (Heinonen, 2011). The communication that has been endeavored through different online contexts has significantly promoted interactive dialogues, which have created an understanding of numerous perspectives. As such, different individuals, businesses, and companies have been granted the opportunity of expressing their opinions and product offerings to the other individuals and the general public (Heinonen, 2011). In addition, social media platforms have helped individuals and companies to engage in constructive dialogue and conversations that have promoted the wellbeing of the society.

Apart from the need of interaction and connection among different people, social media plays an integral role in fulfilling the people’s desire of the sense of belonging as it supports individual relationships (Durkin, McGowan and McKeown, 2013). In Singapore, social media has provided people and organizations with an opportunity of communicating with others as well as belonging to numerous networks through virtual communities that are exhibited on the Internet. In this regard, individuals and businesses have been able to obtain knowledge and learn regarding various perspectives and opinions of events, topics, and issues (Durkin, McGowan and McKeown, 2013). As a socializing platform, social media has allowed people to engage in conversations and online dialogue without necessarily having to communicate face-to-face, which helps businesses and individuals engage in business transactions. In Singapore, businesses have greatly benefited from the increased use of social media, with many advertisements made through social media platforms and the websites (Okazaki and Taylor, 2013). The greatest advantage of the social media use in advertising is that it is extremely cheap compared to other means such as Television and print media (Durkin, McGowan and McKeown, 2013). With Singapore having a high populations using social media on daily basis, businesses in the country are able to reach more customers at a lower cost, which enables them to create strong brands.

The Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DOI) describe the way new ideas and advancements have been transferred within the society (Ngai, Tao and Moon, 2015). Based on this theory, Singaporeans have adopted the social media behavior, which can be explained through five perceived characteristics, which are complexity, observability, trialability, compatibility, and relative advantage (Ngai, Tao and Moon, 2015). As such, the social networking in the country has been enhanced through communication and information technology, which is largely depended on continuous participation of the users. The diffusion of social media in Singapore has also influenced the individual cultures, and has significantly promoted the understanding and interconnectedness among the citizens.

The social networking sites in Singapore have allowed individuals and businesses to develop profiles, which facilitate sharing connections and interaction with others in the systems. Based on this attribute, the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Singapore has greatly benefited as they are able to increase their customer base through spreading awareness to potential consumers through social platforms that have attracted massive users in Singapore (Okazaki and Taylor, 2013). In this regard, the social media is bound to greatly promote exchange of messages between individuals and SMEs, not only in the country, but elsewhere (Hoffman and Novak, 2012). As such, SMEs will engage in an intercultural dialogue that will critically identify the specific tastes and preferences of the consumers based on their cultural orientations (Samuel Craig and Douglas, 2006). With increase in social media, the businesses in Singapore will gain a great competitive advantage owing to the fact the Singapore hosts many social media users. As a result, the businesses will experience increased productivity, revenue, and profitability (Ngai, Tao and Moon, 2015). In addition, the businesses will utilize the social media to advertise their products and brands at very low costs, thus boosting their sustainability amid increased competition in the globalized market (Okazaki and Taylor, 2013).

1) Identify any future avenues for further research. ..Based on your reading and researches what are the areas for further research….

This part is missing

Based on the discussions of this paper, it is clear that social media is there to stay. The social media has influenced individuals and businesses in equal measures. Through use of social media, people from different cultural backgrounds have been able to interact and interconnect, which has made the world to be a global village. It is recommended that Singapore needs more tremendous embracement of technological advancements of social media use and cultural diversity. As such, many individuals and businesses in the country will greatly use social media in business endeavors, with customers able to gain awareness regarding the product offering of companies and SMEs. The Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DOI) has been utilized to describe the way new ideas and advancements have been transferred within the Singaporean society. Future research in the field needs to focus on the relationship between use of social media and intercultural adaptation. There is also need to perform research on how different theories of social media and culture influence the political climate in Singapore.

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