Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Posting to Belong: Instagram Features Enhance Marketed Goods Used as Conduits to Leverage Group Affiliation

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Communication and Smart Technologies (ICOMTA 2021)

Part of the book series: Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies ((SIST,volume 259))

Included in the following conference series:

  • 1117 Accesses

Abstract

Belonging Conduits are resources available in the market (such as products, services, or brands) that people use as a means to favor their affiliation to a group. The conduits are a construct of the belongingness-oriented consumption model, which explains the process that subjects follow when their consumption patterns favor their affiliation to a group. This study aims to examine how young consumers are using the social media platform Instagram to produce content using Belonging Conduits to promote their group affiliation. A qualitative research with a deductive approach was conducted among young Instagram users. Data were collected through interviews, using the mobile instant messaging interview (MIMI) technique. The information was analyzed using structural coding and thematic analysis. The findings confirm that young people use consumer goods as vehicles to favor their belonging. In addition, it becomes clear that participants recognize Instagram as an functional outlet for exhibiting Belonging Conduits. Furthermore, Instagram’s features allow to add additional layers of information to these conduits, particularly music, and to increase the reach of content oriented to favor group affiliation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 219.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 279.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 279.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Nadkarni, A., Hofmann, S.G.: Why do people use facebook? Pers. Individ. Dif. 52, 243–249 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Seidman, G.: Self-presentation and belonging on Facebook: how personality influences social media use and motivations. Pers. Individ. Dif. 54, 402–407 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Wong, D., Amon, K.L., Keep, M.: Desire to belong affects Instagram behavior and perceived social support. Cyberpsychol. Behav. Soc. Netw. 22, 465–471 (2019)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Griskevicius, V., Kenrick, D.T.: Fundamental motives: how evolutionary needs influence consumer behavior. J. Consum. Psychol. 23, 372–386 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Ahuvia, A.C.: Nothing matters more to people than people: brand meaning and social relationships, pp. 121–149 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1108/S1548-643520150000012005

  6. Mead, N.L., Baumeister, R.F., Stillman, T.F., Rawn, C.D., Vohs, K.D.: Social exclusion causes people to spend and consume strategically in the service of affiliation. J. Consum. Res. 37, 902–919 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Arias, R., Otnes, C.: The belonging process: elements and enactment within a consumption context. In: Gneezy, A., Griskevicius, V., Williams, P. (eds.) NA - Advances in Consumer Research, vol. 45, pp. 500–502. Association for Consumer Research (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Arias, R.: Toward a conceptual understanding of belonging in consumer research. Adv. Consum. Res. 33, 212–217 (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  9. Vargas-Bianchi, L.: Shopping to belong: qualitative testing and advancement of a theoretical framework on consumer behavior aimed to promote belonging. Preprint SocArxiv, pp. 1–25 (2020). https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.14120.93448

  10. Mellor, D., Stokes, M., Firth, L., Hayashi, Y., Cummins, R.: Need for belonging, relationship satisfaction, loneliness, and life satisfaction (2008). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2008.03.020

  11. Pickett, C.L., Gardner, W.L., Knowles, M.: Getting a cue: the need to belong and enhanced sensitivity to social cues. Pers. Soc. Psychol. Bull. 30, 1095–1107 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Baumeister, R.F., Leary, M.R.: The need to belong: desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychol. Bull. (1995). https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.117.3.497

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Griskevicius, V., et al.: Blatant benevolence and conspicuous consumption: when romantic motives elicit strategic costly signals. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 93, 85–102 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. De Gregorio, F., Sung, Y.: Understanding attitudes toward and behaviors in response to product placement. J. Advert. 39, 83–96 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Elliott, R., Wattanasuwan, K.: Brands as symbolic resources for the construction of identity. Int. J. Advert. 17, 131–144 (1998)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Belk, R.W.: Possessions and the extended self. J. Consum. Res. 15, 139–168 (1988)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Algesheimer, R., Dholakia, U.M., Herrmann, A.: The social influence of brand community: evidence from european car clubs. J. Mark. 69, 19–34 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Muniz, A.M., O’Guinn, T.C.: Brand community. J. Consum. Res. 27, 412–432 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Ahuvia, A.C.: Beyond the extended self: loved objects and consumers’ identity narratives. J. Consum. Res. 32, 171–184 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Berger, J., Heath, C.: Where consumers diverge from others: identity signaling and product domains. J. Consum. Res. 34, 121–134 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Bettman, J.R., Escalas, J.E.: Reference groups, and brand meaning. J. Consum. Res. 32, 1–10 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Goulding, C., Shankar, A., Canniford, R.: Learning to be tribal: facilitating the formation of consumer tribes. Eur. J. Mark. 47, 813–832 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Enginkaya, E., Yılmaz, H.: What drives consumers to interact with brands through social media? a motivation scale development study. Procedia - Soc. Behav. Sci. 148, 219–226 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Alhabash, S., Ma, M.: A tale of four platforms: motivations and uses of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat among college students? Soc. Media + Soc. 3, 205630511769154 (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  25. Casaló, L.V., Flavián, C., Ibáñez-Sánchez, S.: Be creative, my friend! engaging users on Instagram by promoting positive emotions. J. Bus. Res. (2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.02.014

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Sheldon, P., Bryant, K.: Instagram: motives for its use and relationship to narcissism and contextual age. Comput. Human Behav. 58, 89–97 (2016)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Ilich, K.L., Hardey, M.: ‘It’s all about the packaging’: investigation of the motivations, intentions, and marketing implications of sharing photographs of secondary packaging on Instagram. Inf. Commun. Soc. 23, 1–19 (2020)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Saldana, J.: The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers. Sage (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  29. Braun, V., Clarke, V.: Thematic analysis. In: Cooper, H., et al. (eds.) APA Handbooks in Psychology®. APA Handbook of Research Methods in Psychology. Research designs: Quantitative, Qualitative, Neuropsychological, and Biological, vol. 2, pp. 57–71. American Psychological Association (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  30. Buetow, S.: Thematic analysis and its reconceptualization as ‘saliency analysis.’ J. Health Serv. Res. Policy 15, 123–125 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Coyne, I.: Sampling in qualitative research. Purposeful and theoretical sampling; merging or clear boundaries? J. Adv. Nurs. 26, 623–630 (1997)

    Google Scholar 

  32. Gentles, S.J., Charles, S.J., Ploeg, C., Mckibbon, J.A.: Sampling in qualitative research: insights from an overview of the methods literature. Qual. Rep. 20, 1772 (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  33. Hornsey, M.J., Jetten, J.: The individual within the group: balancing the need to belong with the need to be different. Pers. Soc. Psychol. Rev. 8, 248–264 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Oishi, S., Diener, E., Suh, E., Lucas, R.E.: Value as a moderator in subjective well-being. J. Pers. 67, 157–184 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Kaufmann, K., Peil, C.: The mobile instant messaging interview (MIMI): using WhatsApp to enhance self-reporting and explore media usage in situ. Mob. Media Commun. 8, 229–246 (2020)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Kaye, L.K., Monk, R.L., Hamlin, I.: “Feeling appy?” Using app-based methodology to explore contextual effects on real-time cognitions, affect and behaviours. In: Costa, C., Condie, J. (eds.) Doing Research in and on the Digital. Research Methods Across Fields of Enquiry, pp. 11–29. Routledge (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  37. Lee, E., Lee, J.A., Moon, J.H., Sung, Y.: Pictures speak louder than words: motivations for using Instagram. Cyberpsychol. Behav. Soc. Netw. 18, 552–556 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Hwang, H.S., Cho, J.: Why Instagram? Intention to continue using instagram among Korean college students. Soc. Behav. Pers. 46, 1305–1315 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School, Universidad de Lima, Av Javier Prado 4600, Lima, 15023, Perú

    Lizardo Vargas-Bianchi

Authors
  1. Lizardo Vargas-Bianchi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lizardo Vargas-Bianchi .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. ISEG, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal

    Álvaro Rocha

  2. Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá D.C., Colombia

    Daniel Barredo

  3. University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

    Paulo Carlos López-López

  4. Universidade da Coruña, A Coruña, Spain

    Iván Puentes-Rivera

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Vargas-Bianchi, L. (2022). Posting to Belong: Instagram Features Enhance Marketed Goods Used as Conduits to Leverage Group Affiliation. In: Rocha, Á., Barredo, D., López-López, P.C., Puentes-Rivera, I. (eds) Communication and Smart Technologies. ICOMTA 2021. Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies, vol 259. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5792-4_16

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation