Logo image
Back
Online support for vulnerable consumers: A safe place?
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Online support for vulnerable consumers: A safe place?

J Parkinson, L Schuster, Rory Mulcahy and H Taiminen
Journal of Services Marketing, Vol.31(4/5), pp.412-422
2017
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-05-2016-0197
pdf
PDF - Author's Accepted Version581.53 kBDownloadView
Accepted VersionPDF - Author Accepted Version Open Access
url
https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-05-2016-0197View
Published Version

Abstract

social support service co-creation vulnerable consumers netnography
Purpose: This paper aims to examine the service experience in an online support community of consumers to understand the nature of social support and how it is experienced and enacted by vulnerable consumers. Design/methodology/approach: A netnographic study was conducted to examine vulnerable consumers' participation in an online support group for weight management. The Linguistic Inquiry Word Count (LIWC) program was used, and additionally data were coded using open coding. A hybrid approach to data analysis was undertaken using inductive and deductive methods. Findings: The findings suggest online social support groups can be used as an online "third place" to support vulnerable consumers, with vulnerable groups engaging with the online support group differently than those in the normal weight group. Social support was also found to be bi-directional in nature. Research limitations/implications: This study only investigates one online support group. To gain deeper insights, other support groups should be examined over a longer period. Practical implications: This paper demonstrates that transformative services have the hidden capacity to optimize their services to enable vulnerable consumers to co-create social support in a safe place, thus providing a non-judgmental environment with the end goal of improving their health and well-being. Social implications: Findings reveal how services can enable marginalization and stigmatization to be overcome and inspire social action through the use of online support groups. Originality/value: This research is unique in that it used a netnography approach to examine how vulnerable consumers interact in an online service setting, reducing self-report bias and allowing for a natural research setting, thus allowing a unique understanding of how vulnerable consumers experience and enact social support.

Details

Metrics

310 File views/ downloads
842 Record Views
78 Times Cited - Web of Science

InCites Highlights

These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output

Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
International collaboration
Web Of Science research areas
Business
Logo image