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The behavioural drivers and implications of consumer disempowerment within a sustainable fashion online community

Rebecca Beech,L. Simkin

Published 2025 in Journal of Marketing Management

ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT Social media connectivity within online communities has elevated the empowered consumer, whose content influences organisations/brands and impacts users’ behaviours/opinions. However, not everyone is an empowered consumer; there are entrapped consumers who experience a reality/virtual blur when struggling to maintain authenticity online and a digital/personal persona. Empowered consumers impact consumer-brand relationships and brand evaluation, but what of those who feel disempowered? This study explores consumers’ behavioural drivers of disempowerment and the outcomes of consumer disempowerment, with implications for practitioners and policy makers. YouTube observations, focus groups and semi-structured interviews were undertaken, in the context of a sustainable fashion online community. Theoretical contributions reveal three behavioural drivers and two outcomes and consequences of disempowered consumers.

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