(A Netnographic Research to Understand Group Dynamics Affecting Purchasing Behavior in Digital Tribe Culture)

Abstract

Purpose – The increasingly digitalized world also involves marketing in many aspects. Virtual communities that connect to each other with different values, produce a common culture and determine the purchasing choices of individuals are one of these aspects. These groups are the solution for consumers who are not satisfied with the timeless, spaceless, discrete, cold face of online shopping. Some consumers, both rational and unwilling to move away from human nature, participate in virtual communities for shopping. Design/methodology/approach – In order to realize this aim, two theories were used to establish both the conceptual framework and the research model. This research established Turkey's most widely used social network on Facebook, independent of any brand, it was carried out on a shopping community in the cooperation. This research was carried out on a shopping community based on cooperation, independent of any brand, established on Facebook the most widely used social network in Turkey. The research is an exploratory study and netnography method which is one of the qualitative research methods is used in this study. Findings – As a result of the study, 10 themes and 38 sub-themes were reached within the frame of the stated aim and method. Discussion – At the end of the research, specific to the sample; it was found that the virtual community created a culture of its own, the relationship of trust was strong, trust directly affected the commitment of the members, correct management of the community affected the group dynamics, the structure and dynamics of the group affected the intra- community behaviors, the leader was able to direct the purchase easily and trust-based collaborative groups have been found to replace traditional intermediaries in the digital world. In addition, as a result of the observations, two different types of groups were found in the virtual communities in terms of group dynamics. These are leading-oriented groups and theme-oriented groups. The results both support and expand previous researches.