Is social media turning into one of the main reasons for purchasing trendy, fashionable and tech products these days? How dependent are we becoming on social media channels when it comes to purchasing decisions? Is it fair to solely depend on social media channels such as Youtube in order to decide whether to purchase a certain product or its competitor?

I somewhat feel nostalgic for the good old days when all we needed was a couple or more simple radio or TV ads in order to make purchasing decisions of either cheap or expensive products and services. Back then, things were too easy and so much less burdened with the complications of having many choices and competing ads yearning for our attention!

Yet again, at those times, we were “ignorant” customers, unaware of all the ins and outs of advertising and the tricks and games of marketing! As we stepped into the world wide web and Web 2.0 at a later stage, purchasing decisions became harder, nevertheless, more conscious!

Depending on Social Media:

After watching the Blackberry Storm vs. the iPhone 3G ad campaigns, and as I eagerly listened to Jon Rettinger’s comparison and analysis of the two products, trying to decide which device to purchase. Right then and there, it struck me: What would I have done without Youtube? How could I have made the “right” decision about this particular purchase if I didn’t have this complete analysis of the features each of those phones had?

In a way, I feel that we are growing dependent on social media in many decisions that effect us on a personal level: the money we spend, the people we meet and the things we discuss. Social media channels have not only developed into a medium for two-way interactive communication and entertainment, they are turning into influencers and some sort of decision makers!

Social Media Responsibility:

Since mass exposure through social media is the new trend, social media users, companies who utilize social media for marketing products and services and those who monitor the flow of information through social media channels have a great responsibility which should not be taken lightly!

Whether you are influencers or marketers, you should be more aware of how you use the different available social media channels and for what reason you use them as well.

Social Media Power:

Be ware! The power of social media could be overpowering to you, your product and/or your service. Allow me to share one of my friend’s experience as an example. He said:

“A few weeks ago, my Macbook charger was simply ruined! I’ve had my Macbook for less than a year now and I am really careful of how I use it. I went online to try and order a new one when I was shocked to find out all these forums discussing the flawed production of all of the same Macbook charger models. That got me thinking: Maybe we should all create a social media campaign attacking Apple and demanding that we are reimbursed for the damages!”

A while back, before the age of Web 2.0, there would have been no way to find out that the damage was due to production flaw and the natural cause of action would have been to simply order another charger and pray it lasts!

Finally, I will leave you to think about the following: How biased can social media be and can this great power social media has be harnessed negatively for the benefits of larger corporations who have the ability to manipulate the social media channels they use?