A STUDY ON USER GENERATED CONTENT BEHAVIOUR AND ITS IMPACT ON PURCHASE DECISION

Abstract

Consumers are now the producers. This is the most striking characteristic of user generated content. A customer who used to be traditionally confined to passive consumption now takes on an additional and active role and becomes himself a producer of content. User generated content can therefore be interpreted as a result of the integration of the user into the process of media production. UGC is mass media orientated content. User generated content is produced for an uncertain number of recipients, which enables us to differentiate between user generated contents and those traces of data left behind wittingly or unwittingly as well as those intended for individual communication. Would it be a good idea for you to purchase the Apple iPad, or the Amazon Kindle? What sort of fridge is best to conserve energy? Would it be advisable for you to fly on Indigo or SpiceJet Airlines? What improves one than the other? These are all inquiries that consumers are confronted with when settling on major buying choices. Prior to the advent of the Internet, consumers had restricted assets to help with their basic decision making. Some depended on word of mouth; others depended entirely on data that came straightforwardly from the makers, also called advertising. Word of Mouth limited the consumers to a little number of assessments, while advertising gave them just one-sided data. What they required was a bigger database of reviews to help with their decision making.