The Impact of Targeted Advertising on Social Media Users

Essay from the year 2024 in the subject Business economics - Offline Marketing and Online Marketing, grade: A, , language: English, abstract: This research essay explores and discusses the impact of target advertising on social media users. This targeting is good for businesses as it leads to higher levels of interaction, thus improving their ROI. It is usually adaptable in real time. However, the article has a privacy issue, where people's data is collected many times without the user's permission, making them uncomfortable or even feel that they are being monitored. Furthermore, the research analysis looks at the psychological consequences of the targeted advertising approach for consumers and how this narrows consumer choice in favor of consumption and shapes consumers' self-esteem, especially among vulnerable populations. This is because theme-related advertisements, such as those related to luxury products or physical attractiveness, create unrealistic expectations that, in turn, lead to dissatisfaction and, in extreme cases, mental issues like eating disorders and depression. The research suggests the improvement of data protection laws and increased responsibility of industries to solve these ethical concerns, therefore claiming an equilibrium between the benefits of personalized advertising and users' rights.