Digital skills 
Iclm 4002
 
Social media has made several impacts on consumer behavior and has revolutionized the way in which consumers purchase new items. Through increased awareness and exposure, social media has actually decreased the cost of businesses to reach consumers, which is reflected in consumers' greater awareness of products. Greater product awareness has affected how consumers purchase products, moving buying decisions from product necessity to product quality. Changing consumer buying decisions has also had an impact on the way businesses advertise their products. Using the understanding of the correlation between consumer behavior and social media, businesses can apply new strategies on social networks to further influence consumers. The primary and most obvious impact of social media on consumer purchasing decisions has been through providing consumers an easy and convenient way to explore new products. In the past, the majority of consumer product awareness came from advertising on television or in magazines. Just 15 years ago, an overwhelming 90% of United States citizens did not have internet in their homes, and thus advertising was done in places where there was a high likelihood of people gathering: in the home for television and in magazine stands. Now, with the easy accessibility of the internet, social media has become the primary source of product and brand information. A study conducted by Google found that 56% of consumers interested in purchasing a product perform a general web search to find information, while 46% search for the product directly on a social network. With millions of products being advertised around the internet, it is very likely that the consumer will stumble upon a product or brand that was not initially sought after. This very encounter is what Hayes describes as "serendipty", an unanticipated discovery, which is said to have a greate infuence or consumer purchasing behavior than information seeking. Hayes also claims that consumers tend to assign their values and experiences to products discovered through serendipity, forming an emotional connection between the consumer and the product. This will often lead to repeat purchases of the product and/or word of mouth promotion, with the consumer feeling as if they have discovered a hidden gem. Thus, increased product awareness on social media does not solely link to changes in consumer purchasing but also has implications on brand loyalty and post-purchase behavior.
  Social media is a digital technology that allows the exchange of ideas and information, including text and visual effects, through virtual networks and communities.
Social media is typically user-generated content that promotes engagement through likes, shares, comments, and discussions.
More than 5 billion people worldwide use social media.
	1.	Social media is credited with helping people build a community and being accused of promoting disinformation and hate speech.
Social media is also becoming an increasingly important part of many companies' marketing campaigns.
1.     Facebook Instagram, WeChat, WhatsApp, YouTube and WhatsApp are the largest social networks in the world.
Gulnazar Jumaboev
Student number 2417184
Lecturer  Kazeem Oseni