Executive Summary

1 | P a g e

The basic aim of the study was to explore and understand the impact that social

networking has in the minds of the people. The study has focused on all the aspects of

social networking right from the amount of time spent online on various sites to even

how it keeps the people involved and indulged in some kind of activity.

Be it common interests in hobbies, religion, or politics, socialize on sites by reading the

profile pages of other members and possibly even contacting them. Social networking

helps in articulating their social and establishing or maintaining connections with

others. More number of the teens are online spending most of their time on their

favorite social networking sites. It is regarded as a place to share opinion and thoughts

in order to promote a cause or just be a part of this so called “SOCIAL

NETWORKING ONLINE”

2 | P a g e

Introduction

3 | P a g e

Introduction to Social Networking

What Is Social?

The term Social refers to a characteristic of living organisms (humans in particular,

though biologists also apply the term to populations of other animals). It always refers

to the interaction of organisms with other organisms and to their collective co-existence,

irrespective of whether they are aware of it or not, and irrespective of whether the

interaction is voluntary or involuntary.

Term "social" is used in many different senses referring among other things to:

Attitudes, orientations, or behaviours which take the interests, intentions, or needs of

other people into account (in contrast to anti-social behaviour);has played some role in

defining the idea or the principle.

What is a Network?

Web Definition: A set of nodes, points, or locations connected by means of data, voice,

and video communications for the purpose of exchange.

4 | P a g e

Definition of Social Network (Wikipedia)

A social network is a social structure made up of individuals called "nodes," which are

tied by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, Common

interest, etc

A social network is a social structure made of individuals (or organizations) called

"nodes," which are tied (connected) by one or more specific types of interdependency,

such as friendship, kinship, financial exchange, dislike or relationships of beliefs,

knowledge or prestige

Social Networks

• Not a new concept, (6 degrees of separation)

• Ramsey theorem-At any party with at least six people, there are three people

who are all either mutual acquaintances or mutual strangers

• People typically maintain 10-20 close relationships among thousands of

acquaintances

• Metcalf’s Law – value of a network increases n2 to # of participants

– Not exactly, but in theory.

– Dependent upon interaction model

Online social networking

• Social sites commonly used.

• Online community of internet users

• Common interests in hobbies, religion, or politics.

• Socialize on sites by reading the profile pages of other members and possibly

even contacting them. 

Origin of social sites

Social network sites (SNSs) such as such as Friendster, CyWorld, and MySpace

allow individuals to present themselves, articulate their social networks, and

establish or maintain connections with others.

5 | P a g e

These sites can be oriented towards work-related contexts (e.g., LinkedIn.com),

romantic relationship initiation (the original goal of Friendster.com), connecting

those with shared interests such as music or politics (e.g., MySpace.com), or the

college student population (the original incarnation of Facebook.com).

Why internet is popular means for social networking…

• The Internet is powerful because it bridges distance at a low cost

• When people first meet online they tend to “like” each other more

• Less stressful than face-to-face meeting

• Superficialities aside people focus on communicating their “selves”

Types of social networkers

Alpha Socialisers – (a minority) people who used sites in intense short bursts to

flirt,meet new people, and be entertained.

Attention Seekers – (some) people who craved attention and comments from

others,often by posting photos and customising their profiles.

Followers – (many) people who joined sites to keep up with what their peers

were doing.

Faithfuls – (many) people who typically used social networking sites to rekindle

old friendships, often from school or university.

Functionals – (a minority) people who tended to be single-minded in using sites

for a particular purpose.

6 | P a g e

Privacy concerns

• Social networking sites provide privacy options but users are generally unaware

or tend to ignore such concerns

• Stalkers, terrorists, ill-doers, con-artists could benefit from such issues

• Facebook’s controversial decision to make visible relationship actions to entire

social group

• Hackers

• Viruses

• Spyware and or Malicious Code

• Wrongful Disclosure

7 | P a g e

Social Networks

A social network is a description of the social structure between actors, mostly

individuals or organizations. It indicates the ways in which they are connected through

various social familiarities ranging from casual acquaintance to close familiar bonds

8 | P a g e

Needs in the 19 th Century

People look for fulfillment of their Needs through their Social Network. And hence their

Social Network becomes a representation of their NEEDS.

Are we friends because we drink together or is the other way round?

Who do we seek out for Help or Advice or recommendation?

Where did a 19th century man go for his needs?

Social Needs (Maslow’s hierarchy)

9 | P a g e

Self Actualization

Esteem

Love

Safety

Physiological

Needs in the 21th Century

Global VILLAGE SQUARE – Social Media Sites

1. Physiological Needs

Food, Water, Shelter

2. Safety

Employment, Judiciary, Health

3. Love

Friends, Courtship, family

4. Esteem

Blogs, Social Media

5. Self Actualization

???

10 | P a g e

Need Fulfillment through SM

Start of a Social Group or Network needs a common ground

- similar needs

- similar sociocultural profile

- demographics

You can create an Audience of dissimilar people but not a Social Network

- Have a clear NEED in sight if you create a Social Media presence

- Look for the similarities or common threads before you BOND people

11 | P a g e

Social Media

Example 1 of Common Need – Health

Example 2 of Common Need – Esteem/Safety

12 | P a g e

Example 3 of Common Need – Safety/Love

Example 4 of Common Need –Self Actualization

13 | P a g e

Steps to Build a Social Media Strategy

14 | P a g e

Which media Sites you can potentially engage with audienceYour Brand Name, Competition and Key words for relevancyListen to what is existing, identify and understand target audienceResearchHow do they tie into your Company GoalsKeep them SMARTWho owns your Social Media – Marketing, PR or CommunicationDetermine your Goals and ObjectivesInfluencers relevantSubscribe to Industry BlogsContacts and ContentPost Comments on Blogs and ForumsAnswer Questions Relevant on Linked In, YahooJoin Industry GroupsEnter Twitter ChatsConversationDon’t hide, People love talking to PeopleJoin offline events to know peopleWho owns your Social Media – Marketing, PR or CommunicationBuild RelationshipsMeasure resultsAnalyze, Adapt and Improve

Components of Social Media

Social Media Marketing

• Social Media marketing creates an environment in which user interactions are

encouraged through social media.

• Examples of some companies using this:

Dell (Ideastorm), Starbucks (MyIdea), Maruti Suzuki, Nokia

15 | P a g e

Blogging Wordpress, Blogger, Individual Tech BloggersSocial Networking Facebook, Myspace, Orkut, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedInSocial BookmarkingDelicious, Digg, Reedit, Newsvine, Stumbleupon Video, Picture SharingYouTube, Metacafe, Myspace, Flicker, Picasa.Social Media Targets

( In a nutshell)

Chain of events in Social Media Marketing

16 | P a g e

Four Top Sites:

• Facebook

• Twitter

• LinkedIn

• YouTube

17 | P a g e

What is Facebook all about….

• A community just for college students, or something scary or irrelevant for

marketers

• Its a tool for connecting people with those around them.

• A place to connect with friends and share thoughts, links, photos, movies and

schedule events.

• A place to do business.

WHY FACEBOOK?

• More than 500 million active users with 50% of active users logging on in any

given day

• More than 1.5 million local businesses have active Pages

• Pages have created more than 5.3 billion fans

• Average user sends 8 friend requests per month

• There are more than 100 million active users currently accessing Facebook

through their mobile devices.

• More than 5 billion pieces of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, notes,

photo albums, etc.) shared each week

• More than 20 million people become fans of Pages each day

• Average user has 130 friends on the site

• Average user spends more than 55 minutes per day!

18 | P a g e

Facebook in India

Facebook Users:

78% Users in 18-34 years

8% of the users are 35 – 44 years

Teenagers account for 9%

Fastest growing Age segment is Teenagers

Facebook user base in India doubled in last 6 months

Tools19 | P a g e

• Number of Users in India – 11.5M

• Male users – 7.9M

• Female Users – 3.6M

• Penetration of Social Media is 1.0% against online penetration of 14%

• Facebook user base in India doubled in last 6

Facebook Groups :

A central place for customers, partners, and friends to participate in conversations

around the brand.

Facebook Pages 

20 | P a g e

A way for businesses of many types to easily establish a brand presence on Facebook.

Similar to pages, but a lot more customizable.

Facebook Events  21 | P a g e

A free application developed by Facebook that anyone can use to promote marketing

events, sponsored parties, or even product launches, transactions, or company

milestones.

Social Ads

22 | P a g e

Offers very powerful targeting capabilities: while one creates an ad, one gets the option

to limit who sees the ad by age, sex, location, keywords, education level, workplaces,

political views, and relationship status.

Facebook Notes and Photos 

23 | P a g e

Facebook applications that allow one to share blog posts and pictures with friends. Can

be used to post content about the brand.

24 | P a g e

Facebook Messages

A powerful alternative to e-mail for targeted marketing on Facebook.

Facebook Share / Posted Items

25 | P a g e

An effective promotional tactic, Facebook Share is a Facebook application that lets one

promote any Group, Event, Photo, Link, or Application one comes across by giving it

real estate in the “Posted Items” list on one’s profile page.

Facebook Applications

26 | P a g e

A quick way to spread the word virally, an app is a program that interacts with the

Facebook site and users can add apps to their profile.

27 | P a g e

28 | P a g e

LinkedIn

• Business Network

• Post Employment and Education History.

• Post Links To Your Business.

• Establish Yourself As Leader and Expert.

29 | P a g e

How Linked in appears on screen….

30 | P a g e

Finding Jobs

ENDORSEMENTS: A New and Useful Feature

31 | P a g e

32 | P a g e

Twitter

• Short Posts of 140 Characters

• Share Quality:

– Information

– Quotes

– Questions

– Comments

– Articles

– Music

– Videos

33 | P a g e

Twitter is a free social networking and micro blogging service which enables to

broadcast short messages (limited to just 140 characters) to your friends, family, co–

workers or so called “followers” in real-time.

You can communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent

answers to one simple question like: What are you doing?

Message restriction of 140 characters has resulted in Twitter being labeled “micro

blogging” and gained a lot of buzz with its platform for sharing messages in short.

Twitter and it’s features

1. Twitter allows you to send and read other users updates (known as tweets)

2. Twitter messages(tweets) are limited to 140 characters (micro blogging)

3. You can send and receive updates via the Twitter website, SMS(text messages), RSS

(receive only), emails or a third party application.

4. You can restrict delivery to your circle of friends (delivery to everyone is the

default).

5. You can use third party application such as Tweetie, Twitterrific, and Feedalizr to

send Twitter messages.

6. You can search for people by name or user name, import friends from other

networks, or invite friends via email.

34 | P a g e

35 | P a g e

• YouTube is a video-sharing website on which users can:

a. - upload

b. - share

c. -view videos

Before the launch of YouTube there were few easy methods available for ordinary

computer users who wanted to post videos online. With its simple interface, YouTube

made it possible for anyone with an Internet connection to post a video that a worldwide

audience could watch within a few minutes.

36 | P a g e

The company is based in San Bruno, California, and uses Adobe Flash Video technology

to display a wide variety of user-generated video content, including movie clips, TV

clips, and music videos, as well as amateur content such as video blogging and short

original videos.

Most of the content on YouTube has been uploaded by individuals, although media

corporations including CBS, BBC, Vevo, Hulu and other organizations offer some of

their material via the site, as part of the YouTube partnership program.

Unregistered users may watch videos, and registered users may upload an unlimited

number of videos. Videos that are considered to contain potentially offensive content

are available only to registered users 18 and older. In November 2006, YouTube, LLC

was bought by Google Inc. for $1.65 billion, and now operates as a subsidiary of Google.

37 | P a g e

How they appear….

38 | P a g e

Social Networking Key Players

Facebook

Above 400M users

The 2nd most popular site in the US; nearly 134M unique visitors

Twitter

Over 50 million tweets per day – that’s 600 per second!

MySpace

57 Million US unique visitors

LinkedIn

60 million users

Tagged

100 million users

YouTube

World ranked #3 according to the 3 month Alexa traffic rankings

39 | P a g e

Social Networking In The Work Place

• 45% of over 2,600 hiring managers, reported using social networking sites to

research candidates

• Of those, 35% found content such as:

- Provocative/inappropriate photos or information (53%)

- Content about dinking or drugs (44%)

- Bad-mouthing of previous employers, co-workers (35%)

- Poor communication skills (29%)

Social Networking is not ALL bad:

18% of those hiring managers found, content on social sites that was convincing to hire

candidates. The top examples include:

– Profile provided a “good feel” for the candidate’s personality and fit

within the organization (50%)

– Profile supported candidate’s qualifications (39%)

– Candidate was creative (38%)

– Candidate showed strong communication skills (35%)

Some Facts :

Almost two-thirds of employees with Facebook accounts visit the site

during working hours

– 87% of those could not define a clear business reason

– Employees visit these sites for an average of 15 minutes each day

Employers are losing 1.5% of productivity when employees access

Facebook

40 | P a g e

Potential pitfalls when employees mix business with the pleasures of social

networking:

– Employees bad-mouth the company or other employees via social

network sites

– Superiors and subordinates engage in company related issues or

inappropriate communication via social network sites

– Bad publicity from disgruntled former employees

– Invasion of privacy issues

– Discrimination issues – boss “friending” some employees while not

“friending” others

41 | P a g e

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

To understand what people are doing online

To identify what are the characteristics of a social networking that help in

brand loyalty.

To investigate who is involved in online social networking and which are

the most popular sites

To examine the relationship consumers have with brands in the social

media space

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

The study aims to explore the impact of Social networking on people. And also to

understand teens’ experience with social networking and communities

Social Networking sites fulfill a very basic criterion of humans. It is that of

communication. People living in extreme corners of the world are seen to be getting

married, friends from far-off places are able to keep in touch with each other and lovers

from two parts of the world stay connected with each other's emotional needs. These

help us make new friends, stay in touch with the old ones and let us know more about

the persons we care... their likes, dislikes, interests and emotions.

There is an element of addictiveness in these sites and the youth are indeed getting

endeared more and more into this addiction. The most appealing thing among these

sites is that they provide a platform for the individuals to express their views, gives

them the freedom of choice and expression... from anti-war campaigns to global

warming issues, from Harry potter fan clubs to Osama bin Laden hate clubs... there is

everything for everyone to share and speak about.

Also, these sites breach the regional, national, cultural, social boundaries for making

friends, knowing them, understanding their culture, tradition and providing us the

opportunity for cultural synthesis.

However, the above said depicts only one side of the coin. If we are surfing on

these social networking sites and putting our personal details on it, there is a chance of

42 | P a g e

its misuse. In the past, we have heard of numerous abuses on these sites like morphing

of photographs etc.

Most of the information put on the social networking sites is fake, concocted or half

truths. While going through these information’s we feel annoyed on one hand and also

develop the same habit of posting misleading information on the other. This way it adds

negatively to socio-psychological behavior of the human being. The people are getting

addicted to these sites day-by-day. The numbers of users is on the rise. This proves that

e-world is taking its toll over the real world. The people are getting secluded. For the

sake of numbers, they have lots of friends, but in reality they are devoid of good friends.

This again, affects human behavior. People are becoming individualistic. Social values

are vanishing.

RESEARCH METHEDOLOGY

Primary and Secondary Data Analysis.

The questionnaire consisted of 17 questions related to research objectives for impact of

social networking.

The population for the research were the youngsters – who were the highest number of

members of social networking sites.

In primary research, a structured questionnaire was developed and it was used as the

survey tool for the study

In secondary research, after the survey was carried out the results were recorded in

excel sheet in order to acquire the data in the form of statistics.

43 | P a g e

THEORY

Social networks are growing at record pace

Apps on facebook keep users “sticky”

A new crop of social networks have emerged

Marketing and social networking are converging

DATA COLLECTION

Data Collection was done through:

Questionnaires.

The questionnaire comprised more of close ended questions to encourage the

contribution from the respondents.

In such a way the data collected was richer in respondent’s real opinion. For data

collection we used convenience sampling technique.

SAMPLE SIZE

The total number of respondents was 53. Out of them 29 were male and 24 were female.

44 | P a g e

Analysis

& Interpretation

45 | P a g e

DATA ANALYSIS

Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint were used for the data analysis as the nature of the

research was descriptive and quantitative.

Data that I got in response to the questionnaire was opinion based and was noted down

by me and then analyzed and compiled the results from it.

Data analysis process of looking at and summarizing data with the intent to extract

useful information and develop conclusions had led to the fulfilling of the objective of

the research.

ANALYSIS OF SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE

18-2030%

21-2538%

26-3032%

Age

46 | P a g e

26%

74%

EducationUndergraduate Post Graduate

More number of respondents were under graduates which is a sign of youngsters

getting themselves involved in socializing and interacting with not only the fellow

members but also in various other communities

49%

17%

34%

Average use per day1 to 4 hrs 5 - 8 hrs 9 - 12 hrs 13+ hrs

47 | P a g e

This chart indicates that close to 50% of youngsters spend atleast 1 to 4 hrs online on

social networking, which clearly indicates that a large number of people spend more

time online socializing.

40%

13%

47%

Average use per week0 to 10 hrs 11 - 20 hrs 21 to 30 31 to 40

This figure clearly shows that a large number of people are constantly logged on their

favorite social networking sites. And are glued online rather than indulging in any other

activity. It also shows that the people regard social networking as their preference

32%

24%13%

17%

14%1%

Number of profilesFacebook Orkut Twitter Linkedin Youtube Others

48 | P a g e

This chart depicts that most of the youngsters are a part of social networking and enjoy

spending more time online and depicts that facebook is a clear leader amongst other

social networking sites and it also enjoys the privilege of having more number of

members than any other social networking site

40%

21%

40%

Total number of connectionsless than 10 10 to 49 50-99100+ 200+

This figure states that the number of users is on the rise and its increasing time and

again. Another aspect that this figure states is that people not only socialize easily but

also believe in being in constant touch with others

40%

58%

2%

Community MembershipUpto 10 11 to 50 51+

49 | P a g e

This chart shows that most of the account holders in theses sites believe in being a part

of communities to show their interest, share their views or simply to keep themselves

updated.

62%15%

23%

Frequency of logging inConstantly logged on several times a day once in a few daysonce a week ocassionally

This chart shows that most of the users are constantly logged in and are glued on to

their chairs throughout, which is why they are called as “sticky” users. Also that the

members are online most of the time in a particular day.

28%

72%

Usage statusUse Often Use Rarely Primary Use

50 | P a g e

This chart depicts that most of the users prefer social networking specifically to acquire

some information and keep themselves updated. And are online often not only to keep

themselves busy but also in order to keep themselves updated with what is happening in

each others life.

43%

17%19%

21%

Reason for joining a communityIt is a relevant, active and interesting communityThis will let me stay up-to-date with the community news/updatesI believe this will help me to get new useful connectionsI would like to have my say and a membership is required

This figure shows that most of the users wish to stand up for themselves and wish to

express their views and opinion which is why they have joined a community. And also

that the main reason for a person to access a social networking site is to keep oneself

informed.

92%

8%

Ads NoticedYes No

51 | P a g e

This chart indicates that almost all the users are aware of the online advertising and

came across social networking advertisements. And consider it as a major source of

marketing.

58%19%

2%17%

4%

Trust the informationYesYes if it comes from my friends/connectionsYes if comes from professional communitiesYes if it comes from company official profiles/pagesNo, I’m always critical to such kind of information and check other sources

This figure states that almost all the users trust the information obtained in social

networking sites and follow them carefully. And also that have utmost faith while loggin

into their favorite social networking site.

52 | P a g e

Findings, Results and

Discussions

Findings:

Social networks are growing at a record pace

Facebook dominates the online social networking space

Seven out of ten people online are members of facebook

Facebook has highest frequency of visits among users

Apps on facebook keep users “sticky”

A new crop of social networks have emerged

53 | P a g e

Online advertising does encourage people to take further action towards visiting

a social networking site

There is an active participation lately in social networking

Youngsters from the age group of 21 – 25 are active members

Regarded as a new source to be “hip and happening”

54 | P a g e

SUGGESTIONS AND

RECOMMENDATIONS

55 | P a g e

Suggestions and recommendations:

Companies can use it to RSVP about certain upcoming events

Companies can use it for direct marketing and market themselves to the public

Birthday reminders to keep a close track on your customers

Advertisers can make use of facebook by coming up with their own pages or

communities

Used for feedback in terms of research details

Events like launch of a product or any kind of promotional event can be easily

notified

Customers can be kept updated about the new campaigns, activities or any move

that a company makes

Promotion of products through the usage of communities

Can be a good source of carrying out CRM and CSR activities

Conclusion:

Marketing and social networking are interdependent

A decline in linkedin is a result of rise in facebook users

Lack of interest in professional networking

Social Marketing Helps in Brand Building

Social networking helps in creating popularity, and unleashing the true power

of word-of-mouth marketing. 

Social Marketing Gives Brand A Voice

56 | P a g e

ANNEXURE

57 | P a g e

This questionnaire is a part of the research for a dissertation related to social

networking in educational sector. The results of this survey will be used for academic

purposes only. The survey is anonymous and does not require any personal details to be

submitted. 

I greatly appreciate your help and support with this research and thank you for your

valuable contribution! 

Instructions: Please tick against the answer you choose

Get Started!

1. Your gender:

a. Male

b. Female

2. Your age:

a. 18 – 20

b. 21 – 25

c. 26 – 30

3. You are….

a. A graduate

b. A post graduate student

4. Area of study

a. Marketing

b. IB

c. HR

d. IT

e. Finance

58 | P a g e

5. Average hours of active Internet use per day

a. 1 – 4 hours

b. 5 – 8 hrs

c. 9 – 12 hrs

d. 13 hrs +

6. Do you have your profile on any the following social networking services (multiple

choices?)

7. If you are NOT participating with any of social networking websites, what is the main

reason why?

a) I don’t have

time

b) It is not

interesting for

me

c) I do not want

any publicity

d) It is against my

59 | P a g e

a. Face book

b. LinkedIn

c. Twitter

d. YouTube

e. Orkut

f. Others

religion

e) Others

8. How many connections (“Friends”) you have for your SNs profile (on average):

a) 10-49

b) 50 –99

c) 200+

d) 400+

9. How many communities/groups are you a member of?

a) None

b) Up to 10

c) 11-50

d) 51+

 

10. How often do you usually log on to your favorite service(s)?

a) I’m constantly logged on

b) Several times a day

c) Once in a few days

d) Once a week

e) Occasionally (less than once week)

11. How much time (on average) do you spend on your favorite social networking site(s)

per session?

60 | P a g e

a. Less than 5 minutes

b. 5-10 minutes

c. 11-30 minutes

d. 30+ minutes

12. Please rate from 1 to 5 how often do you use SN services to:

  1 – do not use

2 – use very

rarely

3 – use quite often

4 – use often

5 – this is my

primary way to

use these services

Find some information

Get opinions

Entertain yourself

Socialize

Stay up-to-date with friend’s life

Share your experience

13. What is the key reason(s) for you to join a community/group in a social networking

service?

a) It is a relevant, active and interesting community61 | P a g e

b) This will let me stay up-to-date with the community news/updates

c) I believe this will help me to get new useful connections

d) I would like to have my say and a membership is required

e) Others

14. How often do you participate in professional communities discussions?

a) I’m a community moderator/group officer

b) I’m an active participant in terms of comments and discussion topics starting

c) I’m rather a reader than an active commenter

d) I do not participate in discussions, just watch communities for updates

15. In the last three visits, did you notice any advertising on social networking websites?

a. Yes

b. No

16. If you answered NO to the previous question - What is the primary reason(s) you

skip the ads messages? 

(Please skip this question if you answered YES to the above one) 

a) It is not always clear the message is an ad

62 | P a g e

b) It is in the same color as non-ads messages

c) It is not in a visible part of the screen on my profile

d) I’m so used to it I no longer look at the place where it is always placed

e) It’s completely irrelevant all the time, I no longer notice it

17. Do you trust information you obtain via social networking websites? 

a. Yes

b. Yes if it comes from my friends/connections

c. Yes if comes from professional communities

d. Yes if it comes from company official profiles/pages

e. No, I’m always critical to such kind of information and check other sources

63 | P a g e

Bibliography

Books

Marketing Research by Dr. P Narayana Reddy and Dr. GVR Acharyulu

Applied Marketin Research by Githa s heggde

64 | P a g e

Websites

www.google.co.in

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

www.facebook.com

65 | P a g e