Patterns of Consumption in Social Media - Essay Example

Subculture of consumption: Patterns of consumption in Social Media Grade (March 19th, Subculture of consumption: Patterns of consumption in Social Media Social media is one of the most popular technological advancement of the 21st century, with many people globally being members of one or more social media networks (Gary, 2012:n.p.). While social media is generally a platform where an individual can meet new people and interact with them through sharing messages, photographs, videos and audio communications, it has evolved into a popular culture where people have created a sub-category of modes of interaction that are different from the overall generalized interactive communication of the social media. Within such subcategories, the individuals involved have found social media as a means of carving their own identity, participating in certain activities of their interest groups and eventually identifying with other people (Schouten & McAlexander, 1992:27). Under such subcategories of social media consumption, the individuals involved are guided by a set of common values, which then derives commitment of the individuals in the objects and the activities they value as a consumption group (Fox, 1987:345). It is through the unique consumption subculture that has been developed by such individuals, that a social structure that defines leisure, modernity, technological enlightenment and urbanized status of social media users has developed (Walter, 2012:n.p.). This culture has transcended the gender, age, cultural, language and national or continental borders, thus cutting across all these social categories. The social media consumption subculture forms through the process of an individual joining a social media group as a new and less active member, who eventually goes through the process of socialization and becoming accustomed to the social media group’s activities and objects, until the individuals can rise to the highest ranks, for example by becoming an active blogger on the subject, object or the activity that the social media group has been established to stand for and support (Rosewarne, 2012:7). Therefore, the subculture of social media consumption challenges the conspicuous consumption theory which holds that people spend money on goods and services so that they can display their economic power (Mason, 1984:32). In total contrast, the subculture of consumption introduces a different consumption theory, where the individuals involved in the social media interest groups are not engage in the purchase of the products belonging to their interest groups for the sake of displaying their economic power, but for the purpose of fulfilling their psychological needs of standing up and offering support. The need to purchase such products is informed by the position of the individuals within the hierarchy of social media interest group support, where the diehard fans are capable of sacrificing even their last cent, not for the purpose of being recognized, but to satisfy their psychological needs of feeling part of the subculture group, and to maintain their new identity (Young, 1988:272). Structure Through social media, people have gained a sense of belonging in the objects or activities they fancy, so much so that they really feel part of the interest group they apply as their object of engagement, and thus derive their commitment to the object or the activities. One of the major social media subculture that has evolved within the culture of social media consumption is the soccer fan clubs subculture, which makes the fans that support different soccer clubs globally feel part of the club family. The nature of interaction of the fans supporting the club is purely defined by the club objects and activities, and the commitment gained is to see the club excel through the support of fan-base drawn from different parts of the world, but with similar common values (Stratton, 1985:197). The structure of the soccer fan subculture within the social media has bees established in such a way that there is a hierarchical structure of the soccer club fan-base, with those fans who are fully committed to the club as the diehard fans being the major drivers of the soccer club’s fan-base interaction themes. Such themes are meant to derive people power, where the support of the soccer fan club delivers a sense of freedom that transcends international online borders, connecting the club fans from all over the world (ORiordan, & Feller & Nagle, 2011: n.p.). In this respect, the diehard fans of the soccer club are fully committed to the social media interaction and they remain online throughout, communicating the clubs information and news to the rest of the club fans throughout the world. Hierarchies and time commitment to the soccer club fan-base The hierarchy of the social media soccer club fan-base is formulated such that the diehard fans remains at the apex of the hierarchy defining the topics and news of discussion by the club’s fan-base worldwide (Marshall & Sensoy, 2014:n.p.). This top group is followed by the fan-base that forms the soft-core of the club’s fan-base, consisting of the fans who love and support the club, but who do not commit the whole of their time in the social media interactions and discussions regarding the soccer club. This group that occupies the middle portion of the soccer club fan-base hierarchy is active in following the clubs activities and is committed to the support of the club so it can excel, but through different means other than full commitment to the social media support (Rosewarne, 2012:4). The final component of the social media soccer fan-base that occupies the base of the fan-base hierarchy is the category that is not fully committed as soccer fans, but they would have a preference of the soccer club in question compared to the other soccer clubs. This preference may emanate from the fact that such individuals are attracted to some of the players or the management of the club. Thus, they can offer their support to the club, though not with much commitment as does the diehard fans. Nevertheless, in all these categories, the fan-base formulation transcends the cultural, gender, race, language, age and nation or continental boundaries, to establish a universal consumption subculture of (Schouten & McAlexander, 1995:47). Ethos Ethos has been defined as a set of values, beliefs and ideals that defines a certain community or culture, and the manner in which they are expressed and maintained (Schouten & McAlexander, 1995:44). In this respect, the social media consumption subculture is guided by the set of beliefs and ideals that the individual supporting certain activities or objects hold. The major value set held by the soccer club fan-base is the success and the victory of the club in the different competition for trophies that the club participates in. Nevertheless, while the soccer club fan-base are committed to the same principle goal, their interpretation of the values and ideals is different, such that the diehard fans will be characterized by communications that are in tune with the club jerseys and logos. Such fans will have their photographs circulated in the social media when they are posing in full club jersey, and their personal social media accounts are likely to have the name of the club and the clubs and player’s photographs, logo and themes, as opposed to their own photographs. On the other hand, the moderate fans will have several club themes combined with their own photo displays, while the soft-core of the club’s fan-base may have a single or even none of those photographs and themes, but will support the club in the communication and discussion they have with the other fans of the club. Impacts on the lives and identities of the individuals The same social media consumption subculture will be reflected in the real life situations, where the diehard fans will also dress in full club’s jersey on the day the club is playing and the culture becomes a lifestyle that the fans cannot live without (Young, 1988:281). Thus, the social media consumption subculture eventually transforms to become a complete life brand that defines the category of the individuals who have established themselves as the fan-base of the club. Therefore, the clubs theme, logo and jersey becomes the main symbol around which the loyal fan-base of the club is build, and it evolves into an ideology that is shared locally and internationally, with the club’s fans being required to show their loyalty through observing the jersey dressing code and the club theme display as part of their culture. In this culture, the fans find the means of temporary transformation into the club’s major stakeholders, through the demonstration of their loyal culture that also acts a source of psychological satisfaction of the fan-base (Fox, 1987:365). Therefore, based on the dressing and display of the themes and logos of the club, the members of the fan-base will be completely transformed even in their moods and manner of interpersonal interaction, since it is only then that they will feel comfortable and confident, especially whenever their club is participating in a game. In this respect, the social media soccer fan-base subculture becomes some sought of concrete lifestyles that influences the ways of life of the fan-base, including their physical outlook and their psychological status (Schouten & McAlexander, 1992:33). This emerges as a sense of strong identity that shapes the group identity of the social media users who are loyal fans of the soccer club. However, there is a discrepancy that exists between the use of the club themes and logos in social media with the possession and atoning of the club’s jersey, considering that owning a club jersey does not transform an individual into a club fan, but the real transformation arises from the transformation of the mind and the lifestyles that comes with embracing the clubs core values (Fox, 1987:362). In this respect, the unwavering support for the soccer club becomes the core value shared by all fans globally. The formation of the club fan-base identity entails the process of first experimenting with the identity of the club by associating with its themes and its fans’ online interaction, which is then followed by identity conformity where an individual becomes a fully accustomed member into the ways and mannerisms of the club, and finally the mastery of the art of the club members interaction online, as well as the full internalization of the clubs core values (Schouten & McAlexander, 1995:53). Nevertheless, the reasons for individual membership to the social media soccer fan club may vary, with some of the members joining out of peer influence, attraction to the style of the fan-base members or due to the fact that an individual’s value resonates well with the values of the social media group. Articulation with marketing institutions The subcultures of consumption, in relation to the concept of marketing, works in two different ways, where it influences the marketer on the one hand, and the subculture is influenced by the market on the other hand (Sexton, 1972:36). First, the subculture influences the marketers of the products which the established subculture seeks to consume, through influencing the style, fashion, design and the modification and co-creation of the product meaning (Zaltman, 1965:95). Conversely, the marketers affect the subculture significantly, through the subculture consumption products being affected more by the market forces than any other product category based on different subculture, such as the religion or the ethnicity subcultures (Schouten & McAlexander, 1995:57). The social media consumption subculture, which starts as online communication and interaction activity eventually transform into real world marketing transactions, where the fans are involved in communication and discussion of the marketing of the club’s products online, which is then inferred into the local markets, with individuals discussing where they can access the products of the soccer club they support. The online marketing activities extend to the fans seeking for the vendors who distribute the products (Young, 1988:282). On the other hands, the distributors and manufacturers of such products find in the social media fan-base group a suitable marketing platform, where they post the advertisement of their products in such social media fan group pages, to entice the already well established market, to purchase the products from their enterprises (Gary, 2012:n.p.). Nevertheless, the social media consumption subculture also contradicts the provisions of Miller’s theory of shopping, which holds that shopping is an act of love towards others (Arnould, 2000:104). Contrary, the social media consumption culture holds that the shopping of the social media interest groups is based on self-interest as opposed to the love for others (Zaltman, 1965:22). Self-interest characterises the purchase behavior of the social media interest group members, who are only driven by the need to sustain the new identities as the support group for a certain interest group. References Arnould, E. (2000). “A Theory of Shopping by Daniel Miller; Shopping, Place, and Identity.” Journal of Marketing 64(1), 104-106. Fox, K. J. (1987), "Real Punks and Pretenders: The Social Organization of a Counterculture," Journal of Contemporary Ethnography 16(3), 344-370. Gary J. N. (February 21, 2012). 14 Trends of Social Media Culture. Business 2 Community. 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