1. “The influence of online social networks” On woman and there glossy magazines Online social networks are increasingly being recognized as an important source ofinformation that influences the use of products and services by its consumers. Social media and interactive consumers will take the lead in changing the media landscape in 2010. Consumers of all ages who have made it a national pastime to text, Tweet and share their lives on Facebook have become the most powerful force in digital media today. Together they are the new mass media. With viral marketing, the tactic of creating a process where interested people can market to each other, is therefore emerging as an important tool to spread-the-word and stimulate the trial, adoption, and use of products and services. (Subramani& Rajagopalan, 2001:1-5). An example of consumers being the new mass media is the example of the use of online social networks by woman. According to a recent study about using the online social networks by women, they found out a majority of US women use social networking sites. 50 percent of this woman say social networking sites influence their shopping habits. It is influencing there shopping habits, because through the social network sites, like Face book, MySpace and Twitter , they interact with other woman that have the same interests and so get information about products in which they are interested in and often buy. The growing power of online social networks have also influencing the woman glossy magazines. For example during the New York Fashion Week kicks off
Fashion's Night Out,
of the glossy magazine; Vogue . This global event was organized to celebrity the opening of the New York Fashion week. To help promote this event they used the normal tools to advertise, including online and spread virally through social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. Another example of the use of social media by glossy magazines is from the glossy magazine Cosmopolitan who launches a sponsored social media initiative called; The Cosmo Karma Project. This project encourages the Facebook and Twitter users to document acts of kindness. This acts of kindness meant that the magazine's 320,000 fans could go to post their do good activities ranging from accompanying a friend to a mammogram appointment to a donation. After discussing the developments and examples of the use of online social networks we can say that on one hand the online social networks give the consumers more power to influence the mass media in promoting products and services. On the other hand the different social network applications influence the behavior of the consumer. So there can be concluded that the influence of online social network is growing and are becoming increasingly important sources of information. Elske Joustra Sources: Subramani& Rajagopalan, Best use of technology: Viral marketing. Marketing, New York, ACM, 2001 Fiona Pietruski., ‘She Speaks’ , February 1, 2008 http://www.shespeaks.com/pressdetails/0/787804/81565/16 Eleftheria Parpis, Adweek, , September 7, 2009 http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=113082&passFuseAction=PublicationsSearch.showSearchReslts&art_searched=Dressing%20Up%20for%20%27Fashion%27s%20Night%20Out%27&page_number=0 Bill Mickey, ´Audience development´, October 28, 2009 http://www.audiencedevelopment.com/2009/cosmopolitan+launches+sponsored+social+media+program