In Joy And Sorrow: Sharing Information, Comparison and Consumption in Virtual Communities of Brides

Abstract

Virtual communities are understood by researchers in the field of marketing as an important reference group for the decision making of consumers, working as a source or even, consumer environment. Little is known about the mechanisms of social comparison that occur in these environments and their consequences in terms of emotion generated and consumption. The goal of this paper is to analyze the social comparison and emotions that arise in virtual communities, in the context of consumption. For this purpose, an exploratory research was undertaken in the community "Noivinhas", present on Facebook, and consisting of brides in a capital of Brazil. Semistructured interviews with participants were also conducted to achieve the study´s goal. It was found that the statements, photos and videos posted in the virtual community studied not only causes the comparison, but also, that comparasion generates emotions. Negative emotions were the most remembered by the interviewees and were also reported by community participants. Envy, regret and sadness can be cited as the most frequent. Positive emotions are not as outstanding for some brides and most of them report only happiness. In relation to the consumption, the respondents admitted that the comparison motivates its, especially when emotion is negative.