These days, most people use more than one SNS service such as Facebook, Instagram or Kakao-story. According to a survey by the Ministry of Science and ICT, more than 80% of Koreans are using SNS and more than 90% of young people in their twenties are using SNS. The increasing usage of SNS affects product advertisements. Products in various fields are publicized on SNS. Some of them get thousands of “Likes” on SNS and are well-known to people. These tendencies also influence people’s consumption habits. However, is it desirable to shop through SNS?
  A lot of products become popular through SNS promotions. From simple snacks to diet supplements, cosmetics, clothes, phone cases and even types of machinery, a diversity of products have become popular on SNS. Also, there are several companies growing successful through SNS marketing. For example, people can find Glam.D easily while using SNS. Glam.D, which sells diet supplements, started its business as an online site, without an offline store. However, it became one of the most famous brands among young people through successful SNS marketing. In addition, the cosmetic company Aprilskin also started its business as an online site. However, it grew though SNS marketing, and now its stores operate in the department stores. Considering the fact that lots of companies are developing through SNS services, the truth has come out: SNS is seriously affecting people’s consumption habits.
  How much is people’s consumption affected by SNS in their daily lives? An online survey targeting one hundred students of CBNU was done to investigate it in detail. 73% of respondents said they use SNS more than an hour a day, and 42% of them said they use SNS more than two hours a day. Also, 54% of the respondents said they have bought products through SNS. 84.9% of them said they have bought products through SNS more than two times. Based on the results of this survey, we can learn that SNS is an effective way to sell merchandise.
  In spite of the survey, there is still a question left unanswered. Are people really satisfied with products purchased through SNS ads? To answer this question, I bought two products which are popular on SNS with my own money. One was a hair-color treatment. People can dye their hair for two weeks by using it. The other one was a pair of stockings which give different pressures depending on the parts of the body, so when people sleep with them, they decrease the swelling certain areas of the body. I was satisfied with one product but dissatisfied with the other one. The color treatment was the same as described on the SNS advertisement. It dyed my hair vividly and didn’t damage my hair. However, the compression stockings were disappointing. I couldn’t experience my swollen legs becoming normal. It was different than advertised. I only wore them a few times, but they were ripped. I wasn’t the only person who was disappointed with this particular SNS advertisement.
  Kim Min-ji (’17, Dept. Public Administration) says “I bought a protein shake through an SNS advertisement. The SNS advertisement said that the protein shake tastes good and makes people feel full when they drink it. However, when I tried it, it was terrible. It didn’t taste good, and it didn’t even make me full. I threw it all away. I felt like a fool, so I will never buy products through SNS again.”



  SNS is one of the major ways people communicate. In other words, if products become popular on SNS, it means that they become more recognizable by most people. However, recognition doesn’t mean benefit. Thus, it’s not wise to believe that popular products are also beneficial to an individual. In the survey, most of the respondents who bought products through SNS answered that they did so because of their appearances in ads. However, buying the products advertised on SNS without research can incur a disappointing result. Therefore, for successful shopping, people shouldn’t get information about the products from SNS ads and should do thorough research like reading the reviews of the products.

By Kim Chae-yeon l cy39@cbnu.ac.kr