Transformations  in
Business & Economics

CROSS-GENERATIONAL ANALYSIS OF INFORMATION SEARCHING BASED ON SOCIAL MEDIA IN ROMANIA
Dan-Cristian Dabija, Raluca Babut, Vasile Dinu, Madalina Ioana Lugojan

ABSTRACT. The progress of mobile communication, the advent of electronic gadgets and portable devices, the development of the Internet and social networks, etc. have brought about a profound change in the way people, especially young people, seek information so as to make the best decisions when purchasing products, brands, services, etc. Millennials/Generation Y members (people born between 1980/1981 and 1994/1995) and Generation Z members (people born between 1994/1995 and 2010) spend more and more hours daily in the virtual environment, listening to music, playing games, communicating or exchanging information and impressions. Gen Xers (people born between 1965 and 1979/1980) also use the digital environment to seek information about the characteristics of products selected during the purchasing process, but in parallel with traditional channels of communication, which they continue to heavily rely upon. Being aware of these realities, the authors conducted an exploratory empirical study of Generation X, Y and Z members in an emerging market (Romania), which highlights the way these generations identify the products that best suit their expectations and preferences. In their study, the authors set to identify the relevant factors that determine the use of social networks by the three generations of consumers to communicate and seek information, as well as the connection between social media communication and information seeking, and the use of personal sources of information (family, friends, colleagues, other consumers) during the buying decision-making process.

KEYWORDS:  cross-generational analysis, Millennials, Generation X, Generation Z, electronic information search, social media, Internet, communication strategy.

JEL classification:  F2, F21, Q01, M30, M31.