Social Media and Consumer Decision Making: A Study of University Students

Abstract

The use of Internet has undergone revolutionary changes over the years. Earlier it was being used by limited number of people for accessing utility services but now its user base has changed all together. It is widely used by youth to access social media who have its 24*7 access via latest gadgets such as smartphones, PDAs etc. Moreover, social media is emerging as an important tool of marketing which has started influencing purchase decisions of the people. The aim of this paper is to examine the use of social media by university students and to study its impact on their purchase decisions. A sample of 90 students has been selected from Punjabi University, Patiala for the purpose of the study. The data have been collected by using a self-administered questionnaire. Various hypotheses have been formulated and tested using chi-square, t-test and ANOVA. The findings of the study have wide implications in the field of marketing.

Keywords: Social Media, Marketing, Facebook, Mobile Phones

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