There are many reasons to consider social media the ultimate medium for persuasion. Increasing internet penetration is directly contributing to its ever-widening reach. The emergence of smartphones, an always-beside-you medium, is enabling individuals to consume social media content 24×7. Advances in big data analytics and artificial-intelligence tools allow social media advertisements to be personalized for each individual and delivered at the most appropriate time. This opportunity for hyper personalization differentiates social media from any other medium of advertising.

Malcolm Gladwell was one of the first prominent writers to question social media’s ability to influence human behaviour. Many believed that the Arab Spring movement had emanated from the influence of social media. But in his New Yorker article, ‘Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted’, Gladwell had argued that Twitter and Facebook had been oversold as popular tools for political action.

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