Online Consumption Community Membership: The Role of Sense of Community and Social Identity

Abstract

Technological and societal changes have culminated in substantial shifts in the ways in which people interact in the business world and socially. These shifts are embodied in the emergence of online consumption communities – internet-based social groups inexorably linked to consumption behaviors. As social media grow in number and popularity, so does the individual’s opportunity to join these communities. Guided by prior research, this work uses a grounded theory approach to develop an understanding of the decision to join such groups. The result is the proposal of a general model of online consumption community membership motives, participation, and benefits. In addition, the text focuses on the interplay between community membership and the individual’s sense of community and social identity.