Network Development: An Exploration of a Collector Community

Increasingly consumers participate in virtual communities to share and exchange their knowledge and experiences. Through interaction in this virtual setting, relationships are established as members develop an understanding of communal norms, values and practices. Virtual communities thus contribute to consumption culture, justifying a better understanding of participation and interactions, and its impact on consumers. The reciprocal relations along with member conflicts are inherent aspects of virtual community culture that arise from shifts in power. How individuals participate and interact with other virtual community members has been substantially studied across e-marketing, consumer behavior and communication research. Drawing from concepts and theories outside of these research disciplines, this study extends existing thinking by exploring the development of networks in light of reciprocal relations, member tension and conflict, influenced by the characteristics of the virtual community and its focal consumption activity.

The Industrial Marketing Purchasing (IMP) Group, this study considers the influence of the characteristics of the environment (i.e. the virtual community), exchange processes (i.e. the cooperative and competitive behaviors of members), and network positions (i.e. member roles and hierarchies) on how networks of members are formed and structured is also explored. The depth of understanding on network development from the IMP Group is particularly insightful for this study into virtual communities consisting of complex webs of interactions.

Netnographic and ethnographic research techniques conducted by one of the authors over a 15-month period informs the findings of the study. WatchZone, the pseudonym for an internationally renowned virtual luxury-timepiece collector community was chosen as the research site. The focal consumption activity; the collecting of luxury time pieces meant that interactions between members had depth, as WatchZone is an information source to gain intricate details. Through the use of offline and online interviews, participant observation and lurking, active participation (both online and offline) and copious field notes lead to a data set that provided rich insights into WatchZone.

The development of networks within WatchZone is clearly influenced by the following factors: the characteristics of WatchZone; cooperative and competitive behaviours; members’ involvement and participation in the community; and the exchange that occurs through communal activities are emergent themes. On the surface, the interaction in the form of participation in communal practices and activities often leads to a member’s affiliation to the community. Whilst on a deeper level, the characteristics of the WatchZone community, the involvement and participation of members, the types of exchange and interaction processes concerning trust, cooperation and competition demonstrate that the formation and development of virtual networks is multifaceted.