Social media marketing falls flat as a signal of quality, research finds

Phys.org12/2/2025 • Last cited 12/2/2025

Summary

Research published in Information Systems Research indicates that social media marketing (SMM) does not effectively distinguish high-quality firms from their competitors, as it tends to lead all companies towards similar spending and pricing strategies. This finding suggests that SMM may blur the signals that firms aim to use for differentiation in digital marketplaces.

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Lindy Score Breakdown

35
Age (0-35)
43 days
4
Velocity (0-40)
1 source (low traction)
6
Tier (0-10)
Phys.org
0
Breadth (0-15)
1 unique
Total Score45/100

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Score BreakdownRisk 50

Source Reputation: Low-trust source (6/20 pts)
Consensus: Single source - no independent confirmation yet
Age: 43 days - proven survivor

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