THE IMPACT OF INTERNET ADVERTISEMENT ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR [A CASE STUDY OF KWARA STATE POLYTECHNIC]

CHAPTER ONE

1.0     INRODUCTION

1.1   BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

         The advent of the internet has been one of the most exciting events in the second half of the 20^th century. The ancient dream of “a scholar knows all things happening in the world without venturing outdoors” has finally become a reality. Since 1993 when the internet broke into the communication world. At present, the internet has spread to more than 180 countries and regions, connecting more than 6000,000 domestic new networks of various types, hooking up more than 120 million computers available to million users [2% of the entire population] within the interest are the information treasure shared by all human civilizations.

          The reason why the internet seems all-powerful is because it has two characteristics beyond the reach of other mechanisms via: The internet contains the biggest resources of information in the entire world; second, it enables people to obtain an interactive mechanism to instantly communicate with one another.

          Once connected within the internet, everyone can enjoy the unparalleled richness of global information resources including but not harmful to textual, audio and graphic information.

         The information on the internet is so rich that no one can tell what is really out there because, the internet information resources are constantly expanding at a great speed, one can only imagine. The types of information on the internet are also wide ranging from scientific research, education, public policy, legal regulations to commerce, arts, and entertainment, e.t.c. It provides unlimited access for those connected with the internet to reach anybody, anywhere in the world so much that the entire world has became global village.

          The internet not only has an inexhaustible amount of information as vast as the ocean, but also has the interactive mechanism, net-to-net; net-to-people and people-to-people communications that makes the internet seems able to take on any task: entertainment, inter-personal exchanges, education, health and medicine, information gathering, securities and investment, trade and settlement of commercial goods, even online voting e.t.c.

All these seemed so remote and unrealistic only yesterday. The exchange and sharing of information among all people has ushered in an omnipotent status in internet application. As long as people develop certain desires, the information to satisfy such desires will quickly and continuously appear on the internet. Such information will gradually satisfy people’s desires for their materials as well as spiritual demands.

With the knowledge of economy gradually ascending to a dominant status and the gradual formation of an information society and that of the characterization of the internet as seemingly “omnipotent” may not be an overstatement. In the past four year, our country has seized the rare opportunity of developing computer networks. By the middle of “July 1998:” our country has 570,000 computer connected with the internet, with a total of 1.175million users. In order to speed up the application of information’s technology in operations, command and communication, our military has also established computer networks, some of which are connected with the internet, making use of what was originally designed to serve the U.S military and U.S scientific research organization.

However, due to its innate transactional, decentralized, open and unregulated nature, the internet as a free, open and anarchy device has brought various countries to great risks as well as opportunities. While it provides enormous convenience that stimulates economy growth, the internet also brought negative impact that cannot be ignored.

We live in a global village where information now travels in a moment. The barriers of time and spaces have been effectively eradicated through the interplay of science and technology. New communication technology (NCTS) has ultimately revolutionized the ways of doing things. The advent of these NCTS particularly the internet or information super highway as it often called is fast changing the face of mass communication, journalism and advertisement.

The metaphor “Information super Highway” which connotes an international network of computers has been coined to describe the communication revolution characterized by speed and sophisticated with which information travel around the world through incredible-powerful new information communication technologies which enfolds the world into a global village.

The entire faces of mass communication, its definitions, audience composition and message delivery patterns together with the advertising strategies and methods have been altered by this information revolution.

The internet with its associated resources had opened up opportunities for advertisers to place their products before their targeted audience all year round, its usage had been adjudged as not only cost effective but highly successful as the world has gone “cyber crazy” it is estimated that over 160million people around the globe uses the internet on a daily basis, of these number, over 100million engage in shopping and other commercial activities (www.isoc.org/internet/historycertshtml).

Equipped with this knowledge, it is pertinent to determine the influence of internet advertisement on consumer behavior what are the merits and demerits of cyber space advertising and how advertisers have been able to harness these internet resources to the promotion of advertisement practices in the country.

The resources of this study are to Clive into the contemporary hype on the internet. Synonymously referred to as electronic advertising (E-advertisement), cyber space advertising or on-line advertisement.

The internet actually began in the early 1960’s as a twinkle in the eyes of the U.S.A department of defense, which saw it as a means of super computer communication for researchers and military facilities across the country. Until its commercial explosion in the 90’s, the internet remained a relative obscure network of linked computer used mostly by academics, military researchers and scientists around the world to send and receive electronic mail, transfer files and find or retrieve information from data bases.

These economic benefits of the information super high ways are quite enormous to technologically starved African.

In the words of Abati (1997:4) it has been tagged as a technology that will create wealth, reduce military coup plotting, indirectly reduced famine, war and alleviate the poverty level.

       The internet has also helped in improving effectiveness, efficiency and productivity in the work place.

1.2   STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The information age has resulted in greater number of the world’s population adopting a cyber-culture where computer and the internet play a major role. This research study seeks to establish the impact of internet advertisement on consumer behavior.

       It will look at the various internet resources being utilized in electric advertisement and seek to establish the extent and scope of Nigeria’s involvement in internet advertisement. In other words, the study seeks to determine the impact and attitude of Nigerians to internet advertisement, the gratifications they derive from it and determine the direction of impact on internet advertisement on their buying behavior.

1.3   OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The overall objective of this study is to vigorously examine the impact of internet advertisement on consumers.

This study is designed to attempt achieving the following objectives:

·        To elicit the expectations of consumers about internet advertisement.

·        To access the impact of internet advertisement among consumer in Kwara state polytechnic

·        To determine the attitude of consumer towards internet advertisement.

·        To determine the trend of impact of internet advertisement on consumer in Kwara state polytechnic.    

1.4   RESEARCH QUESTIONS

           The research will address the following questions:

1.    What is the impact of internet advertisement on consumers in Kwara poly Ilorin?

2.    What is the attitude of consumer in Kwara poly Ilorin towards internet advertisement?

3.    What is the gratification derived by consumer in Kwara poly Ilorin from internet advertisement?

4.    What is the trend of influence of internet advertisement on consumer in Kwara State Polytechnic Ilorin?

1.5   RATIONALE OF THE STUDY

         As predicted by Marshall McLuhan, the world is now embracing a global culture. The increase in information communication technology [ICT] as necessitated to an increase in communication between countries thereby breaking geographical language and other barriers. To this extent the internet paved way for the interaction and exchange of ideas/message across national boundaries. It [internet] has greatly affected the way things are done, in which the field of advertising is not an exception.

       Therefore, this research is stimulated by the increase and prevalence of internet advert and how it affects consumer behavior.

1.6   SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

      The study was embarked upon as a result of the fast growing popularity of the internet in the contemporary world particularly the advertisement.

      The study will be of immense benefit to advertisement practitioners in determining the effectiveness of internet advertisement. This will also help them in strategizing and packaging such adverts to enhance positive consumer behavior. The study will also be of benefit to scholars and students of mass communication, in understanding internet advertisement and business tycoons stands to benefit in the area of assessing consumer response to internet advertisement.

1.7   SCOPE OF THE STUDY

         The scope of this study will be limited to resident of Kwara State Polytechnic Ilorin. This is designed to get a representative sample of the entire population. As such other states and cities are suitable for sampling but will not be sampled due to inadequate manpower, finance and time limitations.

LIMITATIONS

        This study is limited to radio advertising via the medium of radio. Airtime is purchased from a station or network in exchange for airing the commercials. While radio has the limitations of being restricted to sound, proponent of radio advertising often cite this as an advantage.

1.8   DEFINATION OF TERMS

IMPACT: A cognitive factor that tends to have an effect on what an action behavior, or way of thinking.

INTERNET ADVERTISEMENT: Any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods and services by an identified sponsor which is placed on a network formed by co-operative inter-connection of networks.

CONSUMER BAHAVIOUR: The response of consumer having been exposed to internet advertisement, in terms of taken on whether or not the act on the content of the message.

OMNIPOTENT: Having virtually unlimited authority or influence [power].

INEXHAUSTIBLE: [An amount or supply of something] unable to be used up because existing in abundance.

DECENTRALIZATION: The process of redistributing or dispersing functions, powers, people or things.

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