Paper Type
Complete
Paper Number
PACIS2025-1757
Description
In recent years, social media has emerged as a pivotal driver of brand boycotts by leveraging its unique technological affordances. While boycotts commonly are linked to crowd behavior, little research explores how social media communities influence customers' boycott decisions. This study integrates technology affordance and contagion theories to develop a configurational research model that elucidates the dynamics of brand boycotts. Using survey data from an actual consumer product boycott, the study identifies three equifinal configurations that sufficiently explain boycott participation. Findings highlight that social media affordance—digital collectivity, information provision, and virtual interaction—interact with contagion factors such as moral outrage, behavioral mimicry, and social self-esteem to drive boycotts. By revealing how social media amplifies collective consumer actions, this study advances information systems and marketing literature, offering insights into the digital dynamics of brand boycotts.
Recommended Citation
Hossain, Mohammad Alamgir; Sabani, Alvedi; Menon, Preetha; and Quaddus, Mohammed, "Understanding the Influence of Social Media Affordances and Contagion on Brand Boycott: A Configurational Approach" (2025). PACIS 2025 Proceedings. 2.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/pacis2025/sm_digcollab/sm_digcollab/2
Understanding the Influence of Social Media Affordances and Contagion on Brand Boycott: A Configurational Approach
In recent years, social media has emerged as a pivotal driver of brand boycotts by leveraging its unique technological affordances. While boycotts commonly are linked to crowd behavior, little research explores how social media communities influence customers' boycott decisions. This study integrates technology affordance and contagion theories to develop a configurational research model that elucidates the dynamics of brand boycotts. Using survey data from an actual consumer product boycott, the study identifies three equifinal configurations that sufficiently explain boycott participation. Findings highlight that social media affordance—digital collectivity, information provision, and virtual interaction—interact with contagion factors such as moral outrage, behavioral mimicry, and social self-esteem to drive boycotts. By revealing how social media amplifies collective consumer actions, this study advances information systems and marketing literature, offering insights into the digital dynamics of brand boycotts.
Comments
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