Young People in the Commercialized World
Marketing to young consumers and its impact on family
The Role of Socialization Agents in Adolescents' Responses to Mobile Marketing: A Consumer Socialization Perspective
Investigators: Wonsun Shin and May Lwin
Funded by the Ministry of Education in Singapore (Tier 1 Grant, $79,760, 2014-2016), this project examined how adolescents in Singapore respond to app-based mobile advertising and how adolescents’ advertising responses are affected by their interactions with parents, peers, and media use. A national survey conducted with 603 smartphone users aged 12-19 in Singapore showed that control-based parental mediation was more influential on younger adolescents rather than older ones. Regarding peer influence, adolescents who were susceptible to peer norms tended to demonstrate less critical orientation toward app-based mobile advertising, regardless of age. As for the roles played by media, the findings suggested that adolescents’ responses to app-based mobile advertising were more a function of perceived smartphone competency rather than the amount of time spent on smartphones. Key findings were published in the International Journal of Advertising (2020).
The Impact of Advertising and Social Media on Singapore Adolescents and Youths’ Materialism and Unhealthy Consumption Behaviors
Investigators: Hilbun Ho, Wonsun Shin, and May O. Lwin
Funded by the Ministry of Education in Singapore (Tier 1 Grant, S$99,520, 2013-2016), this project examined how SNS use is related to consumption experience is associated with materialistic values among young adults and how their social perceptions mediate such association. This investigation also proposed that young adults’ self-regulation and close relationships with parents would buffer the impact of SNS use. Survey data gathered from 903 youths in Singapore lended strong empirical support to the hypotheses proposed. Key findings and implications are discussed in Communication Research (2019).
Active Mediation of Television, Internet, and Mobile Advertising
Investigator: Wonsun Shin
This project, funded by Nanyang Technological University (S$5,000, 2014-2016), examined how parents implement discussion-based parental mediation (active mediation) to influence the way children understand advertising on three different media platforms - television, computers, and smartphones. A survey conducted with parents of children aged 10-17 in Singapore shows that the degree to which parents engage in active mediation of advertising is similar across different media. Active mediation of advertising is more a function of parents’ attitudes toward advertising directed to children, parents’ concerns about media influence on their children, and parental self-efficacy rather than the age of their children. Key findings were presented at the American Academy of Advertising (AAA) Conference (2016) and published in Young Consumers (2017).