Social Media and Managing to Provide Bank Services to the Digital Generation Through the Use and Gratification Theory Approach.

Subject Areas : Media Management

Ali Akbar Farhangi ¹ (عضو هیئتعلمی دانشگاه تهران)
Majid Heidari ² (دانشجوی دکترای مدیریت رسانه دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی واحد علوم و تحقیقات تهران عهدهدار مکاتبات)

Received: 2014-09-05 Accepted : 2014-12-05 Published : 2015-01-21

Keywords: Social media, Banking system, digital generation, Web 2.0, the use and gratification theo,

Abstract :

In many developed countries the retail banking has been engaged with the use of social networks such as face book, you tube, etc so that the banks will be able to communicate with the bulk of their customers who are mainly from the digital generation in a tangible space to this generation which is the virtual world. The importance of virtual environments such as second life has been so remarkable that we confront the creation and introduction the new currencies like linden dollar, bit coin, etc which have challenged the common currencies in the world. In this article three impacts regarding the opportunity of entering to the world of social media are being discussed that might be fruitful for the banks willing to change and involving the virtual areas desired by the digital generation. The use and gratification theory is being considered in this article and the author tries to adapt the theory to the opportunity of utilizing the social media in banking services. The goal of the research is reaching the customers of digital generation. Does the use of social media cause the reaching to digital generation customers? Does this use reduce the cost of finding new customers? Does it regain the confidence of digital generation customers? The research method is explorative dealing with library studies on social media and providing bank services considering the use and gratification theory. The findings show that using social media in providing bank services to the digital generation customers will lead to reaching these customers, reducing costs, and regaining the confidence.