IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/oup/jconrs/doi10.1086-666616.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

When Differences Unite: Resource Dependence in Heterogeneous Consumption Communities

Author

Listed:
  • Tandy Chalmers Thomas
  • Linda L. Price
  • Hope Jensen Schau

Abstract

Although heterogeneity in consumption communities is pervasive, there is little understanding of its impact on communities. This study shows how heterogeneous communities operate and interact with the marketplace. Specifically, the authors draw on actor-network theory, conceptualizing community as a network of heterogeneous actors (i.e., individuals, institutions, and resources), and examine the interplay of these actors in a mainstream activity-based consumption community--the distance running community. Findings, derived from a multimethod investigation, show that communities can preserve continuity even when heterogeneity operates as a destabilizing force. Continuity preserves when community members depend on each other for social and economic resources: a dependency that promotes the use of frame alignment practices. These practices enable the community to (re)stabilize, reproduce, and reform over time. The authors also highlight the overlapping roles of consumers and producers and develop a dimensional characterization of communities that helps bridge prior research on brand communities, consumption subcultures, and consumer tribes.

Suggested Citation

  • Tandy Chalmers Thomas & Linda L. Price & Hope Jensen Schau, 2013. "When Differences Unite: Resource Dependence in Heterogeneous Consumption Communities," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 39(5), pages 1010-1033.
  • Handle: RePEc:oup:jconrs:doi:10.1086/666616
    DOI: 10.1086/666616
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/666616
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/666616
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1086/666616?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:oup:jconrs:doi:10.1086/666616. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: the person in charge (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://academic.oup.com/jcr .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.