The Influence of Females' Specialized Facebook Groups on Decision Making Process : A Comparative Study between Social-Issues Groups & Brand Review-Based Groups

Abstract

The Aim of this study is to analyze Facebook for females. groups’ This study focuses on two types of impact on decision making process females’ Facebook groups: Socialissues groups related to personal relationships such as groups for confessions, marriage, family relations and mommies. The second type is brand review groups for females to ask about others’ expebased groups. These are riences in using certain products or brands. The study draws on the decision making model of Kotler and the group dynamics model of Tuckmann. This study used qualitative and quantitative methodologies via administrating an online questionnaire and using focus groups. The results of this study proved that Facebook groups can be categorized as a form of group pressure. Facebook groups are resort to by females in order to meet others with the same interests. Females are willing to accept experiences from other online users whom they do not know when making decisions. It has been noticed that females in different ages have different interests when it comes to joining online groups. Young ladies show considerable interest in socialissues groups, while bra ndreview based groups are preferred by older ones. The former tend to make decisions based on Facebook groups more than the latter. In addition, the influence of brand review groups on making decisions is stronger than that of socialissues groups .based In this study, the researcher proposed a model in order to explain the steps of the decision making process in social media g according to the Decision Making Model , roups to theorize Facebook groups’ role Group Dynamics Model of Deindividuation Effects (SIDE) Model and Social C apital T , Social Identity Model heory. IIIIV This topic falls under SDG number 12 about Responsible consumption and production; ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns, meaning that Facebook groups now help people in making decisions as for example buying items , thus ensuring sustainable consumption, and also Goal number 16 talking about peace and justice as it includes important aspect for the topic which is making sure there is a decision making that includes responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decisions at all levels , which is the role of Social Facebook groups that tackle personal experiences of people with their spouse or about any other social decision for the sake of social peace. Keywords: Specialized Facebook groups / Group pressure / Social-issues groups / Group dynamics/ Decision making process/Brand review-based groups