The Evolution of the Online Social Order

What is an average internet browser looking for online? I’am sure, if God walked into the reality of an online marketer, this would be the query he would be peppered with. Such is the varied online habits of the mostly 15-35 year old demographic that targeted marketing appears mostly a messy confusion than an exact science. People’s taste varies with every new development of the ‘social’ kind and allegiance changes as quickly as it is created.  

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn are the new social media hubs- online gatherings where people flock to in large numbers with varied intentions- being social, being personal, all business or simply to play animated games. While an earlier generation would have ventured outside to meet friends, scanned the newspaper stands for their daily fix of information and World news, played snooker and hung out at smoky taverns or flirted through the means of scented letters and eye-grabbing attire, the latest fad is to do all this online. Everything that is available in the real-world as a service, product or facility is now available online through the magic of e-commerce. The latest avatars of this innovation are the deals sites, the B2B and B2C sites, role-play portals as well as dedicated gaming websites. In a recent poll conducted by a popular Men’s magazine, more than 60% of the people who polled would rather spend an idle Saturday online rather than hanging about in the real world. As Bob Dylan sang, ‘Times they are a changing’.

In terms of businesses however, this is a welcome development. Marketing is all about targeting your audience with messages that appeal to them- the bigger the subjected audience, the better it is in terms of promotional effect and costs saved. Previously, an average marketer would find it hard to capture his chunk of interested, like minded audience, however thanks to the present trend of online social groups, dedicated websites pertaining to specific causes, email marketing and the ease at which opinions can be mass circulated over the internet, people with similar interests often flock together and actively advertise their presence. Online marketing has emerged as a major promotional tool and is often a more preferred scenario for companies who can afford to advertise big with a limited budget. Can you imagine a future when conventional business promotion is a thing of the past? If not, it’s about time you watched ‘Minority Report’ again.

The internet is big and it’s here to stay. The masses who have embraced it represent different demographics, tastes, cultures, preferences and stereotypes. As much as we live and play on god’s green earth, an adventurous part of us wants to disengage, lounge on an easy-chair, login and explore the contours of our digital, online lives.