Original research and review manuscripts are invited for a forthcoming special issue of Psychology & Marketing entitled ?Online Consumption Communities.?

In the age of social media, consumers are well connected and able to interact with companies, brands and each other. Facebook brand and group pages, blogs, Twitter and other social networks are successful online spaces that enable interaction among individuals covering the entire gamut of human activities including consumption activities. However, such online spaces, by and large, provide platforms for the formation of generalized online communities including hybrid ones, and the focus may not be restricted to consumption activities let alone a particular one. Although all online communities may be interesting avenues for academic scrutiny, online consumption communities would be of particular relevance and interest to business researchers dealing with trends and issues in marketing, consumer behavior/psychology, and consumer economics. An online consumption community may be defined as a group of consumers who share an interest in a particular consumption activity and convene online to connect with each other, share knowledge, collaborate, and support each other. An online brand community is one type of consumption community where the focal point rests on a singular brand (e.g., Harley-Davidson). Extant marketing literature has focused primarily on brand communities (which were in existence even before the advent of the internet) and to a lesser extent on other types of online consumption communities such as peer-to-peer support communities and open source communities, and related issues. In short, there is a need to address this imbalance and enhance understanding of the variety of online consumption communities. This need provides the impetus for this special issue.

A non-exhaustive list of potential topics to be covered includes: forms of community affiliation and community participation; homogeneity and heterogeneity of members and interests; governance in online communities: management of member conflict and incentives; community success factors from manager/member perspective; individual-level consequences of participation in online consumption communities; and evolution of online consumption communities.

Manuscripts may contain a maximum of 50 double-spaced pages (including all figures, tables, references and appendices) with citations & references in APA style and must be received in electronic form (MS Word) no later than July 31st, 2013.

Submit manuscripts and all correspondence related to the special issue via email to Prof. Nicola Stokburger-Sauer (University of Innsbruck School of Management, Austria) at: nicola.stokburger-sauer@uibk.ac.at

The Hardware and Software Behind ELMAR Is Paid for with AMA Dues Please Support ELMAR by joining the AMA or renewing your membership