Document details

Consumer Activism 2.0: Tools for Social Change

In: The Routledge Companion to Digital Consumption
Russell W. Belk; Rosa Llamas (eds.)
London; New York: Routledge (2019), pp. 356-366

ISBN 9780203105306 (ebook); 978-1-138-38568-9 (pbk)

Signature commbox: 70-Use-E 2019

"To conclude, current Internet-based innovations, including Web 2.0 tools and the wherewithal to use these tools, have given consumers a new form of freedom, and voice. As such, they are more apt to start campaigns, expose social injustices, and demand change from the institutions concerned. We contend that activism in the online realm may contribute to creating a more empowered consumer who participates to the degree that he or she is able. While this ease of participation and the ability to start consumer campaigns from one’s home computer have added to the social conscience and social awareness of society, they have introduced new conundrums to contemplate. One wonders whether the plethora of petitions and viral videos on behalf of various causes have the desired effects or whether they confuse matters. After all, if there are 259 Facebook pages calling for stringent GMO policies, which one does the consumer join? Perhaps the most important contribution of this chapter is to be a starting point for additional empirical research on the various questions surrounding online consumer activism." (Page 364)