The Impact of Instagram and Facebook Advertising on Indian Youth: A Sociological Study

Abstract

: The rapid growth of social media has altered advertising from a largely one-way communication process to an interactive, personalized, and socially mediated form of communication. Instagram and Facebook, as significant social networking platforms in the Meta ecosystem, have evolved into important areas for young people to interact with commercial messages, influencers, businesses, peer recommendations, and personalized adverts. The current empirical study looks at the sociological impact of Instagram and Facebook advertising on Indian youth.

Today, there are over 350 million people in India who engage with the digital advertising ecosystem of Instagram and Facebook (Meta platforms). The study is designed around a sample of 1,250 Indian youth respondents. The proposed study employs a descriptive and analytical research design. Data has been collected through a structured questionnaire using a five-point Likert scale. The study reveals that social media advertising profoundly influences young people's consumer behaviour, psychological well-being, self-perception, and social values. While these advertisements serve as significant channels for gathering product information and raising brand awareness, they also contribute to negative outcomes such as impulsive buying, a preoccupation with image cultivation, and issues like stress and anxiety. This research seeks to understand the underlying causes of these effects and emphasizes the need for policy changes and enhanced digital literacy.