EXAMINING THE CULTIVATING ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN BRANDING 1YANG, HO-SHEN, 2SHANG-YUNG YEN Phd Student, College of Business, Feng Chia University Professor, College of Business, Feng Chia University E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Abstract—Social media is a newer emerging media outlet that could serve as a good communication tool for companies, marketers, and advertisers alike; yet, studies into the effects that social media may have on people’s perceptions is more limited. The goal of this research study is to investigate whether or not social media has the ability to influence people’s perceptions of brands. It applies cultivation theory to social media and specifically looks at whether or not social media can cultivate brand affect, trust, and loyalty. As a result, this study will allow for potential understanding of how to use social media effectively to communicate messages and where additional research can be done to better understand this newer media outlet. Index Terms— Social Media; Cultivating Role; Brand Loyalty; Brand Affect; Brand Trust. I. INTRODUCTION Generated Content” [2]. Moreover, social media has been defined broadly as a media for social interaction With the rise of the Internet and the World Wide Web [4]. Social media has come to include items such as in the 1990’s, advertisers began to take interest in the blogs, web forums, photo and video sharing possibility of using the medium for advertising [1]. communities, and social networking platforms such as Over the years, additional aspects of the Internet have Facebook [4]. Considering the shift in individuals to been added that enhance its potential as an advertising use social media on a daily basis, more studies have tool, including social media [2]. For example, been done to investigate social media and what that Facebook, a social media tool prominently used for means for advertisers and companies, such as a study communicating with friends, family, and co-workers, done by [5]. In above study [5], it is argued that social was established in 2004 and now has approximately media made it possible for a single individual to 800 million active users. This and other social media communicate with many people about products and tools have seen substantial growth since establishment companies. As a result, 4 it is contended that social and, as a result, the advertising industry and businesses media should be used in company’s integrated have taken interest in the potential of these tools for marketing communications [5]. aiding in marketing. Yet, not all social media are thought to be alike. Each This study will attempt to test the viability of one different social media outlet offers different features particular theory, cultivation theory, as a potential and components for the users supporting a wide range framework for better understanding the relationship of individual interest and practices [6]. As a result, a between this social media use and advertising classification system was being put in place to outcomes [3]. Specifically, a few cultivation effects distinguish one social media outlet from another based that may be of interest to companies, marketers, and on two components of social media outlined by [2]. advertisers are brand affect, trust, and loyalty. As a Those components were the media-related component, result, this study examines whether social media use which drew from the concepts of social presence and impacts these advertising outcomes. The study focuses media richness, and the social-related component, on social media outlets with stronger characteristics which drew from the concepts of self-presentation and for building relationships (an important component of self-disclosure [2]. For a better understanding of how brand affect, trust, and loyalty as explained below) and different social media outlets function and are those with narrower slices of content for classified, it is important to first understand the mainstreaming effects. media-related components and then the social-related components. II. LITERATURE REVIEW There are two media related dimensions used to classify social media: the elements of social presence A. Social Media and media richness. Social presence theory essentially An important component to define for the purpose of states that media differ on levels of social presence [7]. this study is social media, including how the various Social presence is broadly the auditory, visual, and outlets of social media are classified, and what factors physical contact allowed between communication influence the classification. First, “social Media is a partners [7]. Most importantly, the higher the social group of Internet-based applications that build on the presence, the greater impact communication partners ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, have on one another’s behavior [7]. The second media and that allow the creation and exchange of User related dimension used to classify social media is Proceedings of 37th ISERD International Conference, Kyoto, Japan, 22nd June 2016, ISBN: 978-93-86083-36-4 30 Examining the Cultivating Role of Social Media in Branding media richness theory which essentially states that between social media use and brand affect, trust, and media differ on their level of media richness [8]. loyalty through cultivation theory, and as such, it is Media richness is looked at as the amount of vital to understand what cultivation is and its key information that is 5 allowed to be transmitted through factors. Cultivation theory was developed in 1969 by a media at a given time [2]. The assumption is that one George Gerbner, and since then, television’s effects on goal of communication is to reduce ambiguity, which people have been studied for several decades now is the existence of conflicting views, and uncertainty, [10]. Cultivation theory in its initial form is essentially which is the absence of information, and the richer the a communication theory implying that repeated media the greater the reduction [8]. Basically, some exposure to television, over time, will alter a viewer’s media are more effective than others in reducing perceptions of reality [3]. Cultivation theory ambiguity and uncertainty and providing better developed from the Cultural Indicators project in 1967 information [8]. done by George Gerbner[10]. From the Cultural With the media related components of social media in Indicators project, it was concluded that television was mind, the outlets can vary tremendously. Social media a medium that could be used to socialize people into outlets integrate different communication tools and roles and behaviors. One of the key principles behind new information [6]. For example, various social cultivation theory is repeated exposure. It is suggested media outlets may use photo posting, mobile that the more time an individual spends in the connectivity, or video sharing; yet, other sites may be television world, then the more likely that individual is mostly text based [6]. Each of those features changes going to report having social realities that are how individuals use the sites, present themselves, and congruent with the social realities seen on television disclose information, hence the social component of [11]. social media [2]. In addition to the media related Yet, sometimes messages relate or resonate with one component, there is a social related component, which individual more than another, and this becomes also has two dimensions: self-presentation and another key principle behind cultivation. “Resonance” self-disclosure. The concept of self-presentation occurs when cultivation is stronger in one individual basically states that in social interactions people desire compared to another [10]. When what people see on to control the impressions other people form of them television aligns with their everyday lives, that [2]. Self-presentation occurs to help create an image combination creates a “double dose” of the messaging that aligns with one’s identity [2]. When connecting and can increase cultivation [11]. The last key to this with social media, people may join a social understanding cultivation is by understanding the network to present themselves on the Internet. Then, relationship underlying cultivation effects and media that self-presentation occurs through self-disclosure, exposure. The relation between media and cultivation where self-disclosure is the act of revealing certain is rather complex because the “pull” on viewers’ personal information to other 6 individuals [9]. perceptions relies on where the viewers’ lifestyles are Therefore, self-disclosure helps develop relationships in relation to the “norm” of the world of media [3]. whether with close family, friends, or a stranger [9]. Cultivation is not another word for effects nor is the Considering each of the above elements: social process considered to be one way; instead, cultivation presence, media richness, self-presentation, and is viewed as subtle yet complex intermingling of self-disclosure, social media is further classified by influences assuming that the medium and its publics outlet. Blogs, social networking sites (i.e. Facebook), interact in a dynamic process [3]. Essentially, viewers and virtual social worlds (i.e. Second Life) are all fuse their reality with the “social reality” seen in media higher self-presentation and self-disclosure with social and then begin aligning their own perceptions. presence and media richness increasing with the latter [2]. On the other hand, collaborative