Title: Marketing communication in the digital age: exploring the cultural historical activity theory in examining Facebook's advertising platform

Authors: Mohammed T. Nuseir; Abdallah AlShawabkeh

Addresses: Department of Business Administration, College of Business, Al Ain University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi Campus, P.O. Box 112612 Abu Dhabi, UAE ' Department of Business Administration, College of Business, Al Ain University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi Campus, P.O. Box 112612 Abu Dhabi, UAE

Abstract: Facebook is the leading social media platform, with more than 1.8 billion users. The growth of Facebook has been a phenomenon, and the demographics of its users cut across all social strata. Businesses have taken note of Facebook's online presence and are increasingly advertising on Facebook. To understand the role of Facebook in creating the link between businesses and clients, we drew on a theoretical framework that identifies the importance of technology mediation between subjects and objects. The cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) explicates the role of technology as a mediator between different groups of users. This theory identifies five key components, or 'mediating factors', that enhance the users' ability to beneficially employ technology. The use of Facebook to reach customers was explored within the theoretical lens of CHAT. This research examined the advertising trend on Facebook over the last ten years by focusing on the reasons why it has gained popularity among firms. The study proposes that marketing professionals consider using the CHAT framework in order to understand the mediating role of social media platforms in facilitating effective marketing campaigns.

Keywords: social media; Facebook; communication; advertising; cultural historical activity theory; CHAT.

DOI: 10.1504/IJECRM.2019.104017

International Journal of Electronic Customer Relationship Management, 2019 Vol.12 No.2, pp.97 - 107

Received: 13 Feb 2019
Accepted: 10 Apr 2019
Published online: 06 Dec 2019 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article