Consumers’ Life Style, Social Identity and Consumption Practices in the Context of Communities of Practice

Social networks on Internet cannot be regarded as media environments simply; they are discursive environments, where individuals actively commune and construct their identities. The present study represents an attempt to analyze the role of virtual communities of practice play in members’ identity, lifestyle and consumption practices. It is also aimed to find out how member types differ from each other in terms of their commitment to the community, identity, lifestyle and consumption. A survey was conducted with members Bilincli Hippiler Toplulugu, a virtual “community of practice”. The findings reveal that life projects, meanings and practices that are produced and consumed in the context of the researched virtual community are sited in central consumption context of, specifically, core and active members, and have identity construction and authorization functions in members’ life trajectories. These findings poses that although virtual communities did not take attention in Turkey, they get importance in analyzing consumer behavior with its effects on consumption practices.