Date of Award

2012

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Specialization

Communication and Leadership

School or Department

School of Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Dr. Pete Tormey

Second Advisor

Dr. David Givens

Abstract

Social media, in particular, Facebook and Twitter, are comprised of communities typically of like-minded individuals. Through social media sites we can network with these communities and converse in ways that are sometimes difficult to do offline. But do these social media communities influence how one purchases online? Mead’s theory of symbolic interactionism describes how offline communities influence one’s actions and helps to create our cultural norms and ideologies. Using Mead’s theory as a basis for the following study, this thesis attempted to determine if Facebook and Twitter communities influence consumers’ online purchasing behaviors. Employing a Likert-like scale of 1-3, a survey asked respondents to answer various questions about their use of social media networks and how the communities within these networks influence what they purchase online. From the study, it was found that Facebook communities have a significant influence on a consumer’s online purchasing behavior and Twitter communities had almost no influence. This study is particularly important for marketers who use social media channels to reach consumers.

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