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Author(s): Närvänen, Elina; Kartastenpää, Elina; Kuusela, Hannu
Title: Online lifestyle consumption community dynamics: A
practice-based analysis
Year: 2013
Journal Title: Journal of Consumer Behaviour
Vol and number: 12 : 5
Pages: 358-369
ISSN: 1479-1838
Discipline: Business and management; Sociology
School /Other Unit: School of Management
Item Type: Journal Article
Language: en
URN: URN:NBN:fi:uta-201412122426
URL: 10.1002/cb.1433
Subject: kuluttaminen; elämäntyyli; ruoan kuluttaminen;
identiteetti; verkkoyhteisö; netnografia; consumption;
lifestyle; food consumption; identity; online community;
netnography
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Online lifestyle consumption community dynamics: A practice-based analysis
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to identify and categorize the discursive practices through which
consumers negotiate a lifestyle-related identity in online lifestyle consumption communities. The
empirical case is a very active community of consumers who adhere to the Low Carb – High Fat
(LCHF) diet. The paper contributes to communal consumption literature by showing how a lifestyle
identity and the community evolve together. Focusing on an online community with lifestyle focus
differentiates this study from previous research because nutritional choices influence the
consumers’ everyday life in a comprehensive manner. By employing a netnographic analysis on
discussion board messages, eleven discursive practices are identified. These practices are
categorized according to confirming/challenging and self-directed/community-directed dimensions.
The paper provides a typology of online community dynamics, emphasizing the importance of
challenging practices for community development. It also has important implications for companies
who wish to understand food lifestyles and develop online platforms for their customers.
Keywords: online communities, identity, discursive practice, lifestyle, netnography
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Online lifestyle consumption community dynamics: A practice-based analysis.
INTRODUCTION
Online consumption communities are “affiliative groups whose online interactions are based upon
shared enthusiasm for, and knowledge of, a specific consumption activity or related group of
activities (Kozinets 1999, 254)”. They are platforms of collaboration that engage their members and
provide new opportunities for marketers as well (Kozinets et al., 2008). The power of communities
in the marketplace cannot be underestimated, because the social links between consumers provide
them value and important resources that empower them to construct their identity as well as
influence each other’s consumption choices. Online communities also give consumers a forum for
effective and anonymous sharing of experiences, feedback and peer support.
A community of consumption may focus on a single brand or a subculture, consumption activity,
or lifestyle. In the search for ingredients of identity, online communities of consumption are
becoming increasingly important, because they provide rich cultural meaning and affirmation of
group belongingness. For companies, learning to understand and interact with communities is
essential. More research is needed on how communities evolve. In online communities, the role of
members themselves as community developers is crucial. Building identity and contributing to
community development entail complementary practices that need to be studied to understand the
dynamics of online communities better. This paper contributes by discussing these dynamics
through a practice theoretical framework.
In the literature, consensus and agreement that lead to social support and reinforced bonds
between the community members have been emphasized. Yet, online community members differ in
terms of their membership length and experience and in terms of their orientation to the community
(deValck, 2007; Kozinets, 1999). It is likely that this heterogeneity causes potential conflict or at
least disagreement over priorities, norms and rules of behavior. It is well known that consumers’
identities are fragmented and often characterized by contradiction (Cova and Elliott, 2008; Firat and
Dholakia, 2006). Thus, when the community revolves around a fundamental identity pursuit, such
as a comprehensive lifestyle instead of just a single brand, active negotiations instead of unison and
conformity are even more likely. This paper contributes to understanding the tensions and active
negotiations in an online lifestyle consumption community.
We study a very active online lifestyle consumption community for low-carb/high-fat (LCHF)
dieters. The majority of online community research discusses brands of consumer products
(Algesheimer et al., 2005; McAlexander et al., 2002; Muñiz and O’Guinn, 2001; Muñiz and Schau,
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2005), or large-scale media franchises and leisure activities (Kozinets, 2001; Schau et al., 2009).
More research is needed on communities with lifestyle focus, because lifestyle choices have a more
comprehensive influence over the consumers’ everyday life, permeating many kinds of social
situations. The role of online support groups as important forums for social support has been noted
by other fields, such as health care and medical science, yet they have not been extensively studied
from the point of view of consumer research (Ballantine and Stephenson, 2011). Food has a strong
influence on identity and different lifestyle phenomena such as sustainable consumption, or
different food regimes and philosophies are increasing their popularity. Therefore, it is essential to
study the contexts, practices and communities that are related to the pursuit of these identities. Our
study complements existing theory by drawing from this rich and unexplored territory.
The objective of this study is to identify and categorize the discursive practices through which
consumers negotiate a lifestyle-related identity in online lifestyle consumption communities. By
analyzing shared practices instead of individual consumers, our study follows recent calls for
collective action of consumers through practice theory (Schau et al., 2009; Warde, 2005).
THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
Online communities
The online technology has advanced rapidly and brought a variety of different formats and
platforms. Social media, such as online communities, blogs and microblogs offer consumers new
options for participating in social interaction online (Kozinets et al., 2010). This has meant a change
in consumer culture as well (Kozinets, 2002). Online communities offer consumers different
narratives and cultural models and help to identify consumption-related identities (Goulding et al.,
2002; Rokka and Moisander, 2009). According to Schau and Gilly (2003, 387), expressing one’s
identity might be even easier online since consumers do not necessarily need to own concrete
consumption objects, but instead they can take advantage of virtual products, signs and symbols.
In a consumption community, online or offline, a consumer learns identity-related practices
and how to define their identity in relation to others. Consumption knowledge and identity is
developed in concert with social relationships (Bagozzi and Dholakia, 2006; Kozinets, 1999). The
communities help consumers regain a sense of social belonging while being able to express their
individuality too (Cova, 1997; Cova and Cova, 2002; Goulding et al., 2002). The in-group offers a
feeling of belonging whereas distinguishing from the out-group gives a feeling of uniqueness
(Jenkins, 1996). Compared to offline communities based on face-to-face communication, online
communities offer more possibilities for many-to-many interaction because communication is
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asynchronous and people may read and respond to others’ messages in their own time (Etzioni and
Etzioni, 1999). On the other hand, the ability of online communities to retain and archive messages
helps the community to form a sense of history and continuity, which is important in terms of
community formation (ibid.). Yet, so far the dynamics of how online communities evolve have not
been studied extensively. Our empirical case provides data from a longer time period, which is why
it enables us to look at the dynamics more fully.
The online community also enables consumers to interact without being in close proximity to
one another, allowing people to socialize even if they are home-bound. Even if the consumer
pursuing a lifestyle identity does not share their goal with their family or friends, they can easily
find similar others online. Online communities may help consumers to deal with stigmatized parts
of the identity since it is easier to find similar others and they may talk anonymously (Kozinets,
2001; McKenna and Bargh, 1998). This is a benefit especially regarding personal concerns and
problems, such as health issues (Ballantine and Stephenson, 2011; Liang and Scammon, 2011).
Online communities thus appear to be more effective in helping consumers build a
consumption-related identity than offline ones. Especially in health-related issues, consumers prefer
the anonymity, objective feedback and reduced role obligations that they can have online as
opposed to discussing with their close family or friends (Wright et al., 2010). Compared to face-to-
face communities, online communities allow members to play with identities through anonymity.
The problem of faking identity and disturbing the discussion purposefully must be taken into
account in computer-mediated communication. Mechanisms to build trust and reputation are often
needed and emerge frequently in online communities (Rheingold, 2002). In the specific context of a
food lifestyle that entails the adoption of a complex system of consumption-related knowledge,
faking is easily noticed by the more experienced members. Members also engage in policing and
monitoring each other in the community, as will be seen in our empirical analysis. Thus, we find
that by analyzing this particular lifestyle community, we are able to really grasp the way community
and self are developed together through discursive practices.
Online community members are believed to have common values, norms, rituals and rules
(Fernbank, 1999; Muñiz and O’Guinn, 2001). This shared cultural order affects many areas of their
behavior, including consumption (Kozinets, 2002; Schau et al., 2009). Bagozzi and Dholakia (2006)
argue that the stronger the social identity, the more a consumer is likely to participate in the online
community. These characteristics that emphasize uniformity and commonalities between members
have been found especially in communities of commercial brands or companies (Algesheimer et al.,
2005; Cova and Pace, 2006; Kozinets, 2002; Muñiz and Schau, 2005). On the other hand, the
consumption tribe concept considers more fluid and momentary, less structured collectives united
