The influence of traditional and modern communication technologies on consumer attitudes

Communication between people and the information transfer is based on the application of modern technologies. The increasing presence of the Internet also affects the functioning of traditional media - press, radio and television. The tendency of networking in the “online” world, along with the process of increasing digitalization, leads to the survival of traditional media being challenged. The importance of the Internet also points to four key trends of digital transformation in the media industry: [1] plenty of advertisements, marketing is taking a new turn [2] (artificial intelligence and machine learning) and the demand for mobile data is growing tremendously. The integration of traditional media and the Internet is undeniable. This is confirmed by the technological trends that marked 2019, [2] among other things, the expansion of connected devices and the inclusion of augmented reality in a great number of applications. The digitalization process and its importance confirm the role and significance of media digitalization in the qualitative improvement of reporting.[3]

The Internet functions without the headquarters, which means, theoretically, that it is not managed by anyone.[4] Is the Internet a medium or not? The Internet is technically a medium, but it is a new platform for traditional media. It can be said that the transmutation of traditional media is inevitable and that the Internet will “swallow” all media.[5] The key facts are the following: the web is the largest medium, the boundaries of the web are endless, the web is getting more and more users and contains all the functions of classic media (informative, educational, socia l and entertaining), there is more and more advertising on the web, traditional media are moving to the web, young people are vastly influenced by the web.[5] The advantages of the Internet compared to traditional media are: flexibility (time and place), digitalization (information), content scope (larger and more diverse), online (alternative channel towards traditional media) and two-way communication medium.[6]

© 2024 by the authors. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license .

radio and television is integration with the Internet, since according to 63.3% of the surveyed high school students, they see the Internet as the medium of the future, while 48.4% believe that print and 40.2% think that radio is a medium that could disappear in the future.[8]

THE PRESS

As the oldest medium, the press went through great challenges that were initiated by the emergence of new media and new technologies. With the occurrence of radio and television, the question arose as to whether and to what extent newspapers and magazines would survive in the new competitive battle. [40] Reading newspapers in Serbia is liked by 59% of respondents, 26.1% neither likes nor dislikes it, and 14.9% of respondents do not like it. Regular readers of daily newspapers read 3 to 4 and 5 to 7 times a week and there are 58.9% of them, occasional readers read 1 to 2 times a week or less, a total of 23%, whereas there is 18% of non-readers.[9]

The first “victim” of the Internet is the print media. The Internet has multiplied delivery channels, producers and sources of information, therefore, journalists and editors are no longer the main and only mediators between news and readers. [10] The press survived, so the presence of the Internet is the basis not for the disappearance of the press, but for its evolution in accordance with the development of the modern world. Reading the press on the Internet is done by 69%,[9] which indicates that the integration of the press with the Internet is the key to the success of print media in the future.[11]

RADIO

Mass communication, which is traditionally based on the transmission of information through sound, is radio. [40] It can be said that the Internet improved radio as a medium and a way of transmitting radio signals. The Internet gave radio a chance to become more competitive than other media.[12] Is electronic publishing just an extension of traditional media on the Internet? [13] Creativity and developing access to the audience are the keys to successful broadcasters in the traditional and contemporary development of radio information. Confirmation of the entry of radio into the online space is the analysis of one of the sites that offers the possibility of listening to radio programs via the Internet, and the result was that there are 298 radio stations offered,[14] and on another site you can find 677 stations[15] solely from Serbia that broadcast the program via the Internet. The radio community for which the Internet is a “natural adviser” deals with the formation and preservation of the identity of radio stations, the transformation of local radio stations and the perspectives of radio in the Internet era.[16] It can be said that radio has been experiencing a renaissance recently thanks to the possibilities of the global Internet offer. The position of radio in the era of the Internet, observing the interest in the radio as a medium, the simplicity that extends over time, the medium of the present, the medium of imagination, is listened to along the way, does not require continuity in listening and is a flexible medium, accomplishing three tasks: it informs, educates and entertains.[12]

The result of the transformation of the media into a new one, based on the example of the analysis of 14 local public broadcasters in Montenegro in 2017,[17] showed that the largest number of local radio stations (72%) has an information portal, 72% have an ordinary website or none at all (14%), the largest number provides the possibility of streaming radio programs on the Internet (71%), more than half are present on social networks (57%), while most sites have a link to social networks (60%), sharing content on social networks is enabled for all via Twitter and G+ and most use some form of video publishing (70%). If we talk about interactivity, contact is the most used (90%), Facebook page 80%, while multimedia options are present in more than half of active radio stations.[17]

In the Republic of Serbia, there are 54.2% of regular radio listeners who listen to a radio program every day or several times a week, there is a third of non-listeners (33.4%,), there is 8.5% of occasional listeners or those who listen less than once a week, and 4% of casual listeners who listen less than once a month.[9]

TELEVISION

In addition to the radio sound, the presence of a picture is the most important feature of television. The functioning of television is based on its change in accordance with the development of technology, which leads to advantages and dangers for its survival. An overview of the challenges that television as a medium has gone through are the Phonevision system, Pay-Per-View television, Digital-Video-Recorder, piracy, BitTorrent protocol, no advertisements, pop-up advertisements, renting advertising space on social networks, Web sites and search engines.[18]

Accepting changes in the era of information technology, television is constantly changing. The transition to digital signal broadcasting results in better image and sound quality, satellite signal broadcasting provides wider coverage, as well as the benefits provided by the Internet that represents technological development. The availability of television is not only on television sets, but also on other platforms available to Internet users through devices connected to it.[40] Television programs on smartphones, tablets, laptops or desktop computers are common today, which has changed the way of watching television. Research shows that in the Republic of Serbia, 69.8% like watching television, 21.6% neither like nor dislike it, 8.6% do not like it, the largest number of citizens watch television 1 to 3 hours a day (40.7%) and the number of those who do not watch television is low (6.8%).[9] Television as a medium is becoming obsolete, and in the struggle for survival, classic television does not have to lose its identity and “move” to the Internet, but it should follow the new information requirements of the audience and build long-term trust and loyalty.[19]

SPECIFICITY OF COMMUNICATION VIA THE INTERNET

The specificity of Internet communication refers to how a medium used to communicate with potential and current users has failed to get to know its audience to the extent that the Internet does. The Internet enables precise segmentation when creating campaigns via the Internet and advertising companies, all in order to achieve the set communication and advertising goals. Thus, companies come into direct interaction with potential and current users. The above-mentioned potential of segmentation allowed numerous advertisers to communicate directly with their target groups and specific sub-segments, consequently marking a new era of direct marketing.[20]

The Internet has a strong influence on the measurability of effects, unlike other advertising and communication tools; for example, a company may know how many users have visited their website, while otherwise it cannot find out how many people have seen their promotional flyer. Considering overall marketing activities, it may be concluded that having “online” and “offline” marketing methods makes less and less sense simply because all marketing activities must start from and achieve the same goals, but it is still not rare that marketing departments are divided into the press, central networks and social networks with separate strategies and campaigns that are sometimes not connected.[21]

The Internet integrates all elements of the marketing mix, and as a result, the Internet advertising is interactive; personal selling involves virtual data and video communication, sales promotion can be carried out by companies through various online coupons and prize games on social networks, public relations is connected with digital posts on social networks and via viral marketing, sponsorships are carried out involving the sponsorship of various online events, while direct marketing as a communication channel reminds and informs users via e-mail, and finally, promoting verbal communication on social networks takes place daily through reviews, recommendations and viral marketing.

Corporate communication on the Internet takes place through several communication channels, i.e. the central network (website) and secondary communication locations such as social network. These are new communication channels for raising awareness and building a brand, shaping the opinion of users or consumers and achieving all the desired communication goals.[21]

In most cases, “offline” marketing was based on paid media, but nevertheless companies began to rely on new categories in digital marketing. So, according to the target groups, we may name three main types of media, i.e. communication channels:[20]

• -    Owned media – a channel owned and controlled by the company, which includes the network headquarters, blog, mobile applications and profiles on social networks.

• -    Paid media – investment in communication channels includes all forms of advertising, for example advertising on search engines, social media and other forms.

• -    Earned media – refers to the channels where customers and users become information carriers, includes word-of-mouth promotion, social media comments and reviews, and viral marketing.

ADVERTISING ON THE INTERNET

Observing the Internet as a channel of communication between companies and users and a form of advertising on the Internet, we can divide it into three main groups in terms of delivery methods:[22]

• -    Advertising through the central network

• -    Advertising via e-mail,

• -    Mobile advertising.

The Internet as a global platform allows companies a large number of different ways of advertising within the WWW space, and with the technical and technological development of the Internet, new forms are increasingly developing. Some of the most significant forms can be classified into:[21]

• -    Display advertising

• -    Search engine advertising

• -    Contextual advertising

• -    Social network advertising

• -    Video advertising

Display advertising includes all forms of graphic advertising within the WWW-information space that is displayed in a specific place within the web page. This type of advertising is known as banners. Banners are visual ads that can contain multimedia, text and sound. This method of advertising can be divided into three groups, namely static or first generation, animated and interactive, or third generation.

Search engine advertising is an integral part of the umbrella concept of search engine marketing (or SEM), which represents a digital marketing method in which various marketing goals are achieved by increasing the visibility of the central network of search results on search engines, primarily attracting visitors and users to the network headquarters.[21]

Contextual marketing can be defined as an online marketing model in which advertisements are presented to Internet users based on the contextual connection with the terms they search for and the content they visit, or based on their search preferences in a certain period of time.

Technological solutions that are applied for the purposes of contextual marketing aim to create a detailed profile of the consumers’ activities while they are on the company’s website or using search engines. The goal is to gather information not only about the actions taken by the consumers, but also about the context of those actions in terms of identifying behavioral habits. Data on gender, location, age, etc. are also collected. The ultimate goal is to maximize the value of this information and, thanks to the application of contextual marketing, create personalized marketing programs.

Contextual website advertising is targeted at individuals browsing the website. The contextual ad system used for these purposes searches the text of the website for keywords, consequently displaying ads on the website based on the aforementioned keywords.[23]

Social networks are online services free for users and they enable communication and connection of their users around the world. The most famous social networks are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, LinkedIn and others. Such social networks connect millions of users, either private individuals or companies, who also create their own social profiles. Social networks allow their users many activities such as sharing information, photos, but also video content. For companies, a presence on social networks is undoubtedly desirable and useful. Through the various tools that social networks offer, a large number of visitors can be attracted to visit and follow the site. Thus, the company interacts with users by publishing interesting content that does not have to be exclusively related to the products and services the company offers; prize games can be organized, group conversations and discussions with users can be created, all of which may significantly support the company in creating a better image and promotion.

Video advertising implies the use of video content within internet platforms to achieve advertising goals. From the global level perspective, YouTube is certainly the most popular site. It offers several options so that video ads can be displayed within the video content that the user wants to watch or can be suggested in the search results on that website. YouTube has one billion monthly unique users and 100 hours of video content uploaded every minute. The big advantage of YouTube is that it can be seen on all sites, the content is shared between users, which represents free promotion. https: // hr/youtube-oglasavanje

YouTube uses Adobe Flash Video and HTML5 technology to display a wide range of professional and amateur video content, such as music videos, clips and entire shows, TV programs, corporate video content and video ads, video blogs, educational videos and the like.

Advantages of YouTube advertising:[24]

• -    Allows you to reach your target audience when they search for content

• -    It is connected to local and international audiences and is the second most visited search engine in the world

• -    Target groups or segments can be precisely reached

• -    Video content helps connect companies with potential and existing customers

• -    It is a relatively cheap form of digital advertising

• -    The success of the campaign is measured

• -    YouTube allows ads to be displayed on computers, tablets and smartphones

• -    Users can easily share content

• -    The possibility of re-marketing, i.e. showing video recordings only to those users who were already on the YouTube channel or network headquarters

Although there are more advantages than disadvantages, the latter do exist, and the negative aspects include the publication of unwanted content or content that incites violence, advertisements that pop up while watching videos, and negative comments left by users.

DEFINING THE ATTITUDE AND ITS CHARACTERISTICS

The definition of attitude is very complex. An attitude is a persistent and general evaluation of people (including oneself), objects, advertisements, or problems. The characteristic of attitude is its durability, although it is not final and changes over a long period of time. The attitude may also be defined as a relatively permanent and stable organizing of positive and negative emotions, evaluation and reactions towards an object.[25] Anything towards which one has an attitude is called an attitude object. Objects of attitude can be various phenomena from the psychological and social world of an individual - persons, groups, situations, ideas and the like.[25] Attitude can be a mental state of readiness of the organism, based on experience that has a direct and dynamic influence on the relations of the mind towards all objects and situations to which it refers.[26] In the theory of marketing, there are several definitions of attitudes, and it is considered that “attitude is a permanent tendency to constantly react in a certain way with regard to various stimuli from the environment“.[27] The basic characteristics of the attitude are:[28]

• -    The attitude has a dispositive character, because it emphasizes neutrality and mental readiness, which is physiologically determined.

• -    The attitude is formed on the basis of experience; therefore, the innateness and genetic condition of the attitude are denied. Attitude arises through life development and is formed in the interaction of individuals and groups.

• -    Attitude is an important determinant of people’s behavior, and represents a component of a person’s reaction to an object, situation or person.

Attitude is an assessment of an object, situation or person in a positive or negative direction. Dynamic character means the dynamism of action directed towards a goal. People are not born with attitudes. Attitudes are formed during the life cycle of an individual and are influenced by reference groups, personal experience and information about phenomena. The learning process plays an important role in forming the attitude. An attitude can be formed in several ways, and it depends on the particular hierarchy of effects that operate. Classic or instrumental conditioning is another way of attitude formation. Classic conditioning occurs when a stimulus that causes a response is associated with another stimulus that initially does not cause a response, but over time the second stimulus causes a similar response because it is associated with the first stimulus. Instrumental conditioning occurs when an individual learns behaviors that lead to positive outcomes, and avoids negative ones.[29] Attitudes are formed in the process of socialization, they are acquired based on experience in direct contact with the object of the attitude, or indirectly, and in interaction with the social environment.[25]

The consumer’s commitment to the attitude can be different, and the degree of commitment is related to one’s level of involvement. There are three levels of commitment:[30]

• -    Giving in – is at the lowest level of involvement, indulgence, the attitude is formed because it helps with gaining rewards or avoiding punishments. Giving in is characterized by superficiality, and this is likely to change when the person’s behavior is no longer under the scrutiny of others or when another option becomes available.

• -    Identification - occurs when an attitude is formed so that the consumer becomes similar to another person or group. A characteristic of this level is the tendency of consumers to imitate the behavior of desirable models.

• -    Internalization – is at a high level of involvement, where a deeply rooted attitude is internalized and becomes part of one’s value system. This attitude is very important to an individual and it is very difficult to change it.

The attitude is permanent and not easy to change. Once formed, an attitude is resistant to change and lasts for a long time, and may change under the influence of different circumstances and new experiences.

• [25] Direction and intensity may affect change in attitude. Intensity is much easier to change than direction of attitude. The meaning of the attitude for a person plays a very important role in the possibility of changing the attitude. A great influence on the formation of an attitude, as well as on its change, is the influence of family, friends, and the work group. Attitude change largely depends on personality characteristics that are important for the change and formation of the attitude, such as intelligence, persuasiveness, and the need for cognitive clarity.[31] Intelligence in terms of one’s characteristics for attitude change causes

disagreement among authors. Some authors believe that intelligence may hinder the attitude change, while others advocate the opposite, and a third group of authors believes that intelligence has no effect on attitude change. Persuasiveness means that some people are less and others more susceptible to the influence of communication, and are ready to change their attitude. The need for cognitive clarity refers to the need for a solution that is sought in finding additional information or simplifying existing information.

The functional theory of attitudes offers an explanation of the functional motives of consumers’ attitudes. Each function attempts to explain the source and purpose of a particular attitude a consumer may have. There are four key functions of attitude for consumer behavior:[32]

• -    The utility function is related to the principles of reward and punishment. It directs consumers towards positive behaviors and products that will be rewarded, and avoids negative and undesirable behaviors and products.

• -    Ego - defensive function - attitudes that are formed to protect a person, either from external threats or the internal ones. This function means that the consumer will buy products that protect the ego, that is, he will buy a product that will somehow complement his ego.

• -    The function of expressing values enables the consumer to emphasize his basic values or his concept of himself. These attitudes are extremely important for lifestyle analysis, because with them consumers cultivate a set of activities, interests and opinions to express a particular social identity.

• -    Function of knowledge – Some attitudes are formed as a result of the need for order, structure or meaning. This need is present when a person is in an ambiguous or unclear situation or is presented with a new product.

Attitude may be influenced by two or more functions, but in many situations one function will be dominant. By identifying the dominant function (i.e., what benefits it provides), marketers can emphasize those benefits in their communications and packaging.

HOW COMMUNICATION AFFECTS THE ATTITUDES AND ATTITUDE MEASUREMENT

Attitudes that are relevant to consumer behavior are formed based on personal experience related to the product or service, information they receive from others, or as a result of exposure to marketing communications. The process of communication can be used to shape and change consumer attitudes. There are several important facts that affect the formation and change of consumer attitudes, which are related to market communications.[33] These are message source features, communication appeals and message structure. Individuals have an attitude at all times, be it conscious or unconscious, positive or negative, about the products, services or brands presented to them. Every day, a large part of the marketing effort is directed at shaping and changing attitudes through various promotions and advertising through numerous channels and through social networks. Marketing communication influences the formation of a new or a change in an existing attitude towards a product, service or brand. People’s attitudes are very important when it comes to marketing, because they prompt people to evaluate products or services positively or negatively. In addition to the attitude towards the product or service itself, consumers create attitudes towards other objects that will affect their final decision or choice. The attitude towards a certain ad has a great influence on people’s attitudes towards brands and their purchase intention. The focus of this theory is attitude toward the ad, not attitude toward the brand. In addition to consumers’ feelings about the product itself, their reaction to the product will also be influenced by their evaluations of advertising. [34] Attitude towards advertising is defined as a predisposition to respond favorably or unfavorably to a certain advertising stimulus during content exposure.[29] Determinants of attitude toward advertising include viewers’ attitude toward the advertiser, evaluation of attitude performance itself, the mood evoked by the ad, and the degree to which the ad affects viewers’ stimulation levels. Feelings generated by advertising can have a direct impact on brand attitude. Ads can evoke a variety of emotions, from disgust to happiness. Additionally, emotional responses to advertising will vary from one consumer group to another. These emotions can be influenced by how the ad is made (i.e. how the ad is presented) and by viewers’ reaction to the advertiser’s motives. Certain types of feelings an ad may create include the following:[35] a happy feeling (fun, delight, playfulness), a warm feeling (affection, optimism), a negative feeling (criticism, defiance, insult).

Taking into account the fact that consumers are exposed to marketing content on social networks such as ads, brand profiles, etc., it is important to understand the factors that affect consumers’ attitude, trust and behavioral intentions in the marketing environment through social networks. Trust is a factor that encourages the adoption of positive attitudes towards advertising on social networks, i.e. there is a positive relationship between credibility and consumer attitude towards social media advertising.[36] Social media marketing communications have a significant effect on every component of consumer attitude. The

Andjelic, S. et al. (2024). The influence of traditional and modern communication technologies on consumer consumer’s attitude towards the brand or product, and even towards the very social network he uses, is a good indicator of the consumer’s attitude towards communication.[37] Measuring consumer attitudes can help in understanding which features of a new product concept are acceptable or unacceptable for the consumer, as well as their perception of the advantages and disadvantages of competing alternatives. [38] The difficulty that arises in measuring attitudes is that they are extremely subjective, sometimes even abstract, ideas.[39]

CONCLUSION

In the modern world, the business of media companies cannot be imagined without the use of new technologies. The Internet, as a separate medium, increasingly permeates traditional forms of communication and is seriously trying to completely replace them. The press, radio and television, as media, are facing a turning point that will largely determine their further destiny - to integrate with the Internet or not. Traditional media can barely survive in today’s conditions of increasing networking and digitalization, so adapting to changes is a condition for further survival. Some readers, listeners and viewers will remain attached to the features of the press, radio and television, and will still probably differ from others due to their habits and lifestyle. The question is whether such an audience will be sufficient for profitable business and survival in a competitive game where the media are trying to advance, introducing innovations to outperform the competition. Integrating traditional media with the Internet is especially important for smaller media organizations that are popular at a local or regional level. The reason is the lack of financial resources for new projects and development, competition from “big” media (international, national and smaller media organizations) owned by large companies and the increasing presence of informative Internet portals. The Internet is a danger, but also the only solution for the further survival of traditional media, at both local and regional levels.