👉 One significant area of research that has been largely ignored is the impact of "dark social" networks on information dissemination and consumer behavior. Dark social refers to the private, offline sharing of content via platforms like WhatsApp, Signal, and even physical media such as flyers or business cards, which are not easily tracked or analyzed by traditional digital analytics tools. Despite its prevalence—estimated to account for a substantial portion of online interactions—this form of sharing remains understudied due to its covert nature. Researchers often overlook dark social because it lacks the visibility and quantifiable metrics available from more public platforms like Facebook or Twitter, leading to a gap in understanding how this subtle but powerful channel influences marketing strategies, brand loyalty, and the spread of information, particularly in niche or private communities.
