Social Media Impact On Interpersonal Communication

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Social media has deeply changed interpersonal communication. Instant messaging (IM) is a social media tool offering real-time text transmission over the Internet. In the past few years, IM has gained popularity as a means of effective and efficient communication. IM is particularly attractive to younger generations because it permits users to instantly obtain and share information with a list of their online ‘‘buddies’’ (Correa, Hinsley, & de Zuniga, 2010). WeChat (WeiXin in China) is a mobile instant text and voice messaging communication service developed by Tencent Holdings Ltd. in China on January 21, 2011. WeChat has similar features to WhatsApp to generate both text and voice messages. WeChat is free to install, use, and download, and …show more content…

The monthly active users refer to the total number of WeChat users sending out at least one message during the last calendar month prior to the relevant date (Tencent 2013 Fourth Quarter and Annual Results Announcement). Consumer activities in WeChat range from socializing with friends and entertaining to exchanging information and experiences regarding a product/service. WeChat is the most widely used social networking service in China and has become an important social media platform for computer-mediated communication (Gao & Zhang, 2013). China’s use of social media is increasing faster than the rest of the world. Chinese consumers tend to consider products or services if they see them mentioned on a social media site (http:// blogs.hbr.org/2012/08/segmenting-chinas-social-media/). Because social media such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter are blocked in China, WeChat is one that marketers could use to directly communicate with their Chinese …show more content…

The Red Bag digitally imitated the Chinese Lunar New Year tradition of ‘hong bao’ where elders pass money to the young to encourage prosperity and provide good blessings. The red bags themselves imply a range of expectations that do not need to be made explicit. Unlike the tradition of adults giving physical Red Packets to children or colleagues, or married couples to unmarried people, the WeChat feature encouraged people to give ‘lucky money’ to anyone. Red Bags became an instant hit during the Chinese Lunar New Year