What role does consumption play in the creation of this consumption community?.
Consumption has become an activity laden in symbolic meaning in contemporary consumer culture (Belk 1988, 2010). Working with the symbolic meanings associated with consumption (McCracken 1986), contemporary consumers use consumption as a means of creating and maintaining a sense of identity (Wattanasuwan 2005). Investigations of consumption communities, ranging from Apple enthusiasts (Belk and Tumbat 2005) to Harley Davidson owners (Schouten and McAlexander 1995), have demonstrated that consumption is often a key driver in the creation and maintenance of social links in consumer culture. In this regard, investigations of consumption communities can yield significant insights into the ways that people consume. You are tasked with researching a consumption community of your choice, from one of the following areas: beauty, fashion, gaming or gym culture. The following examples may help you to think about the types of recreational communities that you could research: Kardashian Tribes, Supreme devotees, Fifa Fanatics or Gym Bros. For the purposes of this assignment, you must use netnographic research techniques (see Kozinets Readings below). Your efforts should be directed towards uncovering insights into the consumption cultures that exist within the community. You should focus on obtaining insights in relation to the consumption patterns of individuals (and groups of individuals) within the community. Primary data must be integrated into your case study to substantiate your insights. To achieve a high mark, you must demonstrate an appreciation of relevant theory, by developing your insights in relation to this module’s required reading. Complete a bibliography that includes references of all material used in the assignment. To guide your research endeavours, the following research questions are suggested: ❖ What role does consumption play in the creation of this consumption community? ❖ How do community members use consumption to create their identities?
❖ What symbolic meanings are associated with this consumption community? ❖ How would you define the consumption community in relation to the literature (subculture of consumption, brand community, neo-tribe, brand cult etc.)? Please pick the questions that seem most relevant to your investigations and focus on depth of analysis rather than breadth. Marks will be awarded on the basis of how the assignment meets the following criteria (all criteria carry equal marks): Structure and presentation of the overall assignment Demonstrated appreciation and integration of relevant literature Insights produced in the assignment Useful readings for this assignment: Belk, Russell W., and Gülnur Tumbat. “The cult of Macintosh.” Consumption markets & culture 8.3 (2005): 205-217. Canniford, Robin. “A typology of consumption communities.” Research in consumer behavior 13 (2011): 57-75. Cova, Bernard. “Community and consumption: Towards a definition of the “linking value” of product or services.” European journal of marketing 31.3/4 (1997): 297-316. Cova, Bernard, Robert Kozinets, and Avi Shankar. Consumer tribes. Routledge, 2012. de Burgh-Woodman, Hélène, and Jan Brace-Govan. “We do not live to buy: Why subcultures are different from brand communities and the meaning for marketing discourse.” International Journal of sociology and social Policy 27.5/6 (2007): 193-207. Schouten, John W., and James H. McAlexander. “Subcultures of consumption: An ethnography of the new bikers.” Journal of consumer research (1995): 43-61. Kozinets, Robert V. “” I Want to Believe”: A Nethnography of the’X-Philes’ Subculture of Consumption.” Advances in consumer research 24 (1997): 470-475. Kozinets, Robert V. “The field behind the screen: using netnography for marketing research in online communities.” Journal of marketing research 39.1 (2002): 61-72. Kozinets, R. V. (2017). Netnography, Sage. Muniz Jr, Albert M., and Thomas C. O’guinn. “Brand community.” Journal of consumer research 27.4 (2001): 412-432. Muniz, A. M., & Schau, H. J. (2005). Religiosity in the abandoned Apple Newton brand community. Journal of consumer research, 31(4), 737-747.
What role does consumption play in the creation of this consumption community?