Weapon of Mass Consumption

I do not need social media to convince me I like buying stuff. Trust me.

It seems however, that for the less retail inclined, social media can go a long way in opening wallets.


Beyond the obvious “buy this and you will be cool" advertising campaigns that social media bombards us with, this new form of interaction between user, seller and would-be buyer has changed the way consumers behave.

penny-pinchers beware!!! your facebook account is tricking you into spending your hard earned cash.

for starters, my investigation has found no shortage of consumers willing to express their anger in ALL CAPS on message boards telling their sob stories of negative experiences with various organizations, products and services.

case in point: http://www.thesqueakywheel.com/
[HI-LAR-I-OUS]

Dear Squeaky Wheel,
Your site is basically an amazing compilation of consumer rage that I believe serves a greater societal purpose, which I will get to in a bit.
With kind regards,
Jenn


Further Googlation, coupled with my own consumer experience, demonstrates that shoppers everywhere have replaced the trusted advice of sales representatives with online consumer reviews.

nothing says put away the plastic like Joe's comment: “bought it and it sucked”



nothing says swipe, swipe away, like Mary's comment: “get this today, it's amazing, you need it right now”

greater societal purpose
social media and consumer behaviour have made the tech-savvy retail junkie a force to be reckoned with. we will tell you what we think, whether you like it or not.

Now, instead of calling your customer service hotline, we will shout your company’s suckiness all across the intermess for the whole world to read!