Scrolling for experiences – Living vicariously through social media
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School of Business |
Master's thesis
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Authors
Date
2024
Department
Major/Subject
Mcode
Degree programme
Marketing
Language
en
Pages
39
Series
Abstract
This thesis explores the themes of experiential consumption in the 21st century, where experiences are no longer solely perceived in real life but increasingly online through social media. This is a relevant topic, as the trend of prioritizing spending money and time on experiences over material goods has grown significantly in recent years. Additionally, social media has become one of the most influential phenomena of our time in shaping consumer behaviors and consumption patterns, fundamentally altering how we perceive and engage with experiences. To research how consumers feel about experiential consumption overall and in the context of social media, semi-structured interviewees were conducted with Gen Z and millennial, Finnish women about the topic. The research resulted in many interesting findings. Firstly, the experiential advantage was confirmed as interviewees demonstrated valuing experiences more compared to materialistic purchases thanks to multiple benefits such as social connection, self-improvement and making lasting memories. Additionally, they interestingly expressed their willingness to spend money on physical products when they are linked to experiences, abandoning feelings of guilt and anxiety usually linked to material purchases. Secondly, Lanier and Rader’s (2015) classification of experiences was used to categorize interviewees social media consumption and to find a new, missing consequence of their actions – vicarious experiences. This new category is introduced as a result of liberatory, performative and stochastic experiences on social media. Social media was found to not only expose consumers to vicarious experiences but also shape their purchase intentions and influence the development of aspirational identities, as consumers seek to replicate the lifestyles and experiences they observe online. This thesis provides important managerial implications as the findings of this thesis suggest that there are significant opportunities for brands and personal brands (influencers) to leverage social media and to tie experiences into marketing for physical products.Description
Thesis advisor
Mikkonen, IlonaKeywords
experiential consumption, experience economy, vicarious experience, aspirational identity, experiential advantage, social media