concept

digital consumer activism

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Digital consumer activism: Agency and commodification in the digital ... ephemerajournal.org ephemera 13 facts
accountThe authors' research examines the complexity of agency in digital consumer activism through three case studies.
claimDigital consumer activism faces a dilemma where users employ digital industries to protest ethically dubious consumption while simultaneously fueling digital consumption practices that are themselves ethically questionable.
claimParigi and Gong (2014) argue that 'digital ties' (digitally enabled sociality) strengthen the outcomes of digital consumer activism, a phenomenon supported by Minocher’s (2019) analysis of the online petition platform Change.org.
perspectiveThe authors of 'Digital consumer activism: Agency and commodification in the digital economy' argue that digital consumer activism offers both new forms of campaigning and presents familiar problems.
perspectiveThe authors argue that digital consumer activism analysis must extend beyond Twitter storms to include broader activist contexts to avoid misinterpreting potentially inconsequential actions.
perspectiveDigital consumer activism can be examined by analyzing the intersection of changes to agency in consumer politics and changed consumption practices brought about by the rise of the digital economy.
perspectiveThe authors of 'Digital consumer activism: Agency and commodification in the digital economy' argue that while consumer politics contests the capitalist economy offline, it remains substantially uncontested online due to a reliance on digital platforms dedicated to private profit.
accountThe study of digital consumer activism utilizes three case studies: the #grabyourwallet boycott campaign (arising in 2016), digital deletion campaigns including #deleteuber and #deletefacebook (active 2016-2018), and the 'Connecting Good' buycott organization (operating since 2015).
claimThe authors argue that digital consumer activism is situated within shifting political dynamics and that the intersection of agency and consumer identity is essential for understanding emerging digital consumer politics.
claimDigital consumer activism is expanding, evidenced by an increasing number of applications that support and report on ethical consumption, as well as digitally native movements like Sleeping Giants and Stop Funding Hate that mobilize for divestment against digital advertising practices promoting hate speech.
claimIn the context of digital consumer activism, 'reactive' boycotts are defined as actions responding to specific events that trigger potential boycotts through widespread media publicity.
claimCoGo provides a business-based and institutionalized approach to digital consumer activism, though its effectiveness is limited by an ideology of consumer choice.
claimThe authors define 'digital consumer activism' as the intersection of changes to agency in consumer politics and changed practices of consumption in the digital economy.