Internet’s Effect On Public Opinion

Introduction

Time is witnessing major breakthroughs in science and technology as we are marching ahead in time. Social networking through the internet is one such platform that enables common people to look at the positive and negative aspects of different things in our surroundings. Ever since the advent of the internet, this technology has broadened people’s minds about certain brands that we mostly use. Social media activities are very meaningful influencers. The Internet has been used broadly across geographical boundaries for accessing instantaneous information and communication. There are many powerful agencies around the world, like BBC, CNN, LBC, Monto Carlo, etc., that can change a person’s opinion about any well-known brand. The Internet can serve both as a positive and negative source of implementing thoughts about certain things.

Discussion

The Internet has an impact on public opinion concerning different brands. It is the era of technology and science where people are engaged in social networking. People across the globe have now become a part of a networked society (Holtz, 2002). The literacy rate is increasing in this century, and more people are getting educated. People mostly spend their time on the internet to get information about different things and brands. Media encourages people to view brand information, such as website URLs. Due to this access, viewers are getting to know more about that brand. Moreover, people mostly depend on the media as a home of information, deprived of even knowing whether it is correct or not. Additionally, the media is a very dominant weapon that can swiftly change people’s perceptions and opinions in a short time (Howard 2001). For example, a news report regarding a product may cover and emphasise only one aspect of that product and fail to discuss the other part, which will make the spectator believe in that side and skip the other.

Furthermore, nowadays news broadcasters and reporters start giving their own judgment which many populaces take as final fact, as a consequence, they keep false idea about that certain topic ( McCombs, 2013). The people who govern the mass media are called the elite, and they are positioned at the top of the pyramid. They own the whole thing, and they are among those who make the choice that regulates the way a culture works. They influence the people by giving and spreading certain news rather than others and make the audience think that what they have offered is the true image (Isoraite, 2015). Instead of this, the media can promote a positive perspective of any brand by showing its importance and benefits.

As the internet changes many person views about different brands, it also does changes persons view the world famous brand “Apple”. The main reason behind its success is that the media covers its news more than any other company. According to a Pew Research Center study, it’s being shown that in the past year, headings about Apple grabbed up 15.1 per cent of tech newscast coverage. One of the reasons for this is that the readers want to know more about Apple than any other company. This is because Apple is providing new technology that all comes in a way that’s easy for consumers to understand. One other reason that affects public opinion about Apple is that most organizations rank worldwide products on many metrics, and all the main ones declare Apple as the world’s most successful brand. For example, “the Forbis” list positions Apple’s product as twice as valuable as Microsoft’s and far more successful than Google’s. This ranking influences people’s opinion that it is a most valuable brand and that they should use Apple products.

Table 1: Forbes list of valuable brands

Many journalists are engaged in promoting some perspective about the brands on the internet to influence people’s thinking about these products. These influences can have a positive or even adverse effect on a person’s opinion. According to Berkowitz, there’s debatably no other brand in the world with that much fame and practical possession of the conventional media to the level that it can continuously rely on the media to extend the word for them. Moreover, about the Apple employees, he says that at least a skilled, if not very gifted, cluster of media managers. These views by different people can strongly influence a person’s thinking and opinion about Apple. This certain opinion can harm or become a source of triumph for that brand, but it depends on the news that is being presented. It can be shown in positive aspect or negative aspect as well.

Regardless of Apple’s fame through news on the internet, some news is becoming the source for a lay down the status of this brand. In the Dawn News on 08 March 2016, a piece of news came with the headline that Apple computers faced their first effective virus attack, ending the air of invincibility attached to the world’s top electronic product. According to this news, a virus has been inducted into the device, which locks the user’s file until Ramson is paid. That news frightened people who once thought that Apple was much more secure than any other brand. With that news, people have come to know that even Apple devices can be compromised by viruses. So, that one headline from the media changes many people’s perspectives about that specific brand.

There is certain news that comes from different channels or different media sources that engage the positive or negative side of any brand. As Apple is providing the best quality products and technology, its prices are undoubtedly high due to such new technology. However, many news channels promote the thinking that these prices are imperfectly high. The presentation of this news gave people incorrect ideas about that brand’s excellence. On Sept 11, 2013, Dawn News published news that Apple suddenly increased the prices of phones. That news affected the Apple market, but it mostly influenced people’s opinions. But regardless of such news, Apple manages to increase its profit constantly. Nearly two-thirds of Americans have received Apple products due to the great image created by the media. The media is constantly promoting the Apple brand’s benefits, which have a great impact on people, so they buy these products.

Conclusion

In the Era of modern technology, where people are learning and viewing different things through the internet, people’s views can be meddled with by the intrusion of the internet. People are so attached to the internet that they only believe the things that are being conducted towards them, and they remain uninformed from certain aspects. Marketing of the Apple brand through different media sources has shaped the positive image of this brand in people’s minds. Also, the results in comparing of different brands also place an optimistic view of this brand. However, some of the journals oppose this great brand accomplishment by implementing deleterious judgments in other people’s minds.

References

Holtz, S. (2002). Public opinion on the net. New York, NY: AMACOM.

Howard, P. E., Rainie, L., & Jones, S. (2001). Days and nights on the Internet: The impact of a diffusing technology. American Behavioral Scientist, 45(3), 383-404.

Išoraite, M. (2016). RAISING BRAND AWARENESS THROUGH THE INTERNET MARKETING TOOLS. Independent Journal of Management & Production, 7(2).

McCombs, M. E., & Shaw, D. L. (2013). The agenda-setting function of mass media. Public Opinion Quarterly, 36(2), 176-187.