ABSTRACT
Digital media are ubiquitous in the information landscape faced by the modern consumer. The emergence of the internet in the late 20th century meant that consumers could access information and interact with firms (e.g., through advertising) electronically in an efficient and fast way. Similarly, email became a widely used channel for firms to directly market via electronic means to consumers, and social networking sites and, then, social media platforms all emerged over the last decade as significant digital media channels where consumers and firms can coexist and be in a constantly interactive state. Additionally, consumers have shifted to mobile devices that allow for them to be connected to the internet and social media platforms—and other consumers—all the time, regardless of where they happen to be in the physical world. And now, in the present day, consumers are starting to embrace newer kinds of digital media channel, such as voice-activated, artificial intelligence (AI)-based personal assistants and augmented and virtual reality applications.
