The Effects Of Polarisation On Consumer Psychology And Purchasing Behaviour

Hogan, Josh (2021) The Effects Of Polarisation On Consumer Psychology And Purchasing Behaviour. Masters thesis, Dublin, National College of Ireland.

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Abstract

Many people across the globe interact in the world of social media on a daily basis. The platforms have now become a regular occurrence providing social change and innovation to how we communicate and interact with one another. This study aims to determine how the spreading of misinformation online can lead to the development of polarisation within social media platforms and how these platforms can affect consumer psychology and purchasing behaviour. In order to uncover this information key themes and attitudes will be studied from a sample population of respondents.

To test the hypothesis that polarisation can have an effect on consumer psychology and purchasing decision an online survey was distributed to social media users around Ireland. Respondents were randomly selected and asked to respond to multiple choice questions relating to their social media behaviour online. The results showed an effect in line with the hypothesis. A change in participant’s behaviour in relation to information spreading online can be identified when making purchasing decisions online.

The results suggest that the development of polarisation within online communities can lead to a change in consumer purchasing behaviour. This behaviour results in the sharing of information online from social media users. On this basis, the concept of polarisation should be taken into account when targeting online communities and driving sales through social media platforms. Furthermore, the results indicate that the current social media environment is rapidly changing, which in turn calls for a more in-depth study into the topic of polarisation and the direct impact that it has on the purchasing behaviour of consumers.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HF Commerce > Marketing > Consumer Behaviour Z Bibliography. Library Science. Information Resources > ZA Information resources > ZA4150 Computer Network Resources > The Internet > World Wide Web > Websites > Online social networks T Technology > TK Electrical engineering. Electronics. Nuclear engineering > Telecommunications > The Internet > World Wide Web > Websites > Online social networks
Divisions:	School of Business > Master of Science in Marketing
Depositing User:	Clara Chan
Date Deposited:	18 Feb 2022 11:06
Last Modified:	18 Feb 2022 11:06
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/5467

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