TY - JOUR
T1 - Online group influence and digital product consumption
AU - Mu, Jifeng
AU - Thomas, Ellen
AU - Qi, Jiayin
AU - Tan, Yong
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgements This research was supported by Key Program of National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 71231002), Major projects of National Social Science Foundation of China (16ZDA055), NSFC (No. 91546121), and NSFC-NRF (No. 7151101003). The authors are grateful for the input on this paper from professor Douglass MacLachlan. The authors are also thankful for the comments on this paper from the anonymous reviewers, the associate editor and the editor.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018, Academy of Marketing Science.
PY - 2018/9/1
Y1 - 2018/9/1
N2 - This article examines the differential effects of online group influence on digital product consumption, using the context of online music listening with a distinction between mainstream music and niche music. The results suggest that the relationship between online groups, product category, and digital product consumption is more complex than previously conceived. We find that superordinate in-groups have a stronger influence on mainstream music listening, while subordinate in-groups have a higher impact on niche music listening. Music listeners can cross in-group lines to listen to music, although the effect on digital music consumption is not as strong as with superordinate in-groups on mainstream listening and subordinate in-groups on niche music listening. Our results also suggest that the positive effect of groups on online music listening reaches an initial ceiling effect before it hits a tipping point and accelerates. The findings provide novel insights into the role of online group influence in the growing reality of digital products and changing consumer behavior.
AB - This article examines the differential effects of online group influence on digital product consumption, using the context of online music listening with a distinction between mainstream music and niche music. The results suggest that the relationship between online groups, product category, and digital product consumption is more complex than previously conceived. We find that superordinate in-groups have a stronger influence on mainstream music listening, while subordinate in-groups have a higher impact on niche music listening. Music listeners can cross in-group lines to listen to music, although the effect on digital music consumption is not as strong as with superordinate in-groups on mainstream listening and subordinate in-groups on niche music listening. Our results also suggest that the positive effect of groups on online music listening reaches an initial ceiling effect before it hits a tipping point and accelerates. The findings provide novel insights into the role of online group influence in the growing reality of digital products and changing consumer behavior.
KW - Digital product consumption
KW - Group influence
KW - Mainstream and niche music
KW - Online music listening
KW - Subordinate in-group
KW - Superordinate in-group
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U2 - 10.1007/s11747-018-0578-5
DO - 10.1007/s11747-018-0578-5
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85042554626
SN - 0092-0703
VL - 46
SP - 921
EP - 947
JO - Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science
JF - Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science
IS - 5
ER -