Role of Social Media

The social media platform that I spend the most time on daily is YouTube. The more that I have used social media throughout the years, the more I understood how the algorithms for suggested content and advertisements worked. Knowing that what is shown to me is just a result of the algorithm showing me what people with similar interests are liking, sharing, etc. Any time that I use YouTube, I am presented with ads that are promoting sporting gear, video games, electronics, movies, as well as random topics like educational courses, medications, and big companies like Target or Best Buy. There are also ads for YouTube related content like purchasing movies, subscription options like YouTube Premium or YouTube TV. Lastly, other content creators on YouTube are able to pay for ads to promote their latest video in order to gain more viewers and subscribers on the platform. This marketing strategy is very effective because of how often I use the platform on a regular basis. I am being shown what like-minded people are being shown, which makes our buying decision processes that much similar as well. That, in turn, could lead to an increase in peer-to-peer influence for certain products that are constantly being shown. For example, if an ad for a new pair of gym shorts is targeting men in my age group on a workout channel, the likelihood of my peer group to influence each other into buying the shorts goes up as soon they are seen outside the ad.