Rather than being a way to reach 16- to 39-year-olds, brands advertising on social media are risking losing trust among this age group according to a study of 2,000 consumers by Harris Poll for Lithium Technologies.

Rob Tarkoff, president and CEO of Lithium Technologies, said: "Pushing out ads on social media is the surest way for brands to alienate consumers, especially the younger generations who make up more than 50% of the population. That’s a lot of purchasing power, and it’s only going to grow as these generations reach their prime spending years. The promise of social technologies has always been about connecting people, not shouting at them, and the brands that don't do this risk their very existence."

 Trust in online sources is fairly strong across generations but according to this survey, the younger, digital natives tend to place more trust in them than older groups. For example 85% of 16- to 39-year-olds trust online sites with product reviews compared with 66% of older generations.