DIGITAL ADVERTISING ON SOCIAL MEDIA: HOW OFTEN IS TOO OFTEN? A STUDENT PERSPECTIVE FROM TIRUCHIRAPPALLI

In the digital era, social media has become a dominant platform for advertising, especially among young audiences. This study titled “Digital Advertising on Social Media: How Often is Too Often? A Student Perspective from Tiruchirappalli” explores how the frequency of digital advertisements influences students’ perceptions, engagement, and tolerance levels. With the rapid increase in targeted advertising across platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook, understanding user fatigue and ad acceptance is crucial for effective marketing communication. The study adopts a descriptive research design, surveying 250 college students from Tiruchirappalli through a structured questionnaire. The findings reveal that while students appreciate creative and relevant advertisements, excessive frequency leads to irritation, ad avoidance, and decreased brand trust. Moderate exposure, combined with personalization and entertainment value, was found to enhance recall and brand attitude. The study also highlights that ad overload negatively affects students’ overall social media experience, often prompting the use of ad-blocking tools or reduced engagement with certain platforms. Gender and usage duration showed significant differences in tolerance levels toward repetitive ads. The results emphasize the need for marketers to adopt balanced advertising strategies that prioritize user experience over quantity. “Recent industry reports such as the Meta Ads Performance Review (2024) and Hootsuite Digital Trends (2025) confirm that ad fatigue typically begins after 5-6 exposures per session, aligning with the findings of this study. By identifying the optimal exposure threshold, this research contributes valuable insights into digital advertising frequency management and its psychological impact on Generation Z audiences. The study concludes that sustainable digital marketing success lies in relevance, creativity, and respectful ad frequency management on social media platforms.