Study: Social Media Transforming Our Influences on What to Buy

For the past several years, in particular, I have joined a ground swell of consumers that are sharing experiences and using buying power to influence manufacturers, retailers and consumers to think more eco-consciously... from the inception of design to consumption and disposal of product. Having written hundreds of reveiws online, and read many more than that, I have found this commonality among strangers: we are trusting peer reviews far more than depending on brand identity and advertising to sway our thinking about what and what not to purchase with our hard earned dollars. Online reviews have introduced me and my family to a myriad of reviews and reports on products and services, including news articles, which address concerns that are becoming increasingly important to us as we shop the on and off-line marketplaces: issues such as fair trade, sustainability, environmental and social responsibility, waste reduction and energy saving benefits, which are top-of-the-mind for so many of us these days. Social media has definitely transformed and influenced what I buy.