How violence among consumers alters the expected benefits of participation in a consumer collective

Abstract

In a consumer society, collective consumption is key to maintaining sociality. However, violence among consumers not only thwarts the benefits of participating in consumer collectives, but also reduces sociality and causes various types of harm. In this study, we investigate the League of Legends gaming community to examine interconsumer violence targeting female gamers and how the mistreatment they experience alters the benefits they derive from being part of the collective. Our exploratory study, based on consumer interviews and auto-ethnographic findings, contributes to the literature on consumer collectives, consumer culture, and gender marketing. Specifically, our data highlight three categories of benefits altered by interconsumer violence—utilitarian, social, and symbolic—each composed of related subcategories. We explain how these benefits are altered by interconsumer violence. We also offer practical recommendations for consumers, community managers, and policymakers to address this phenomenon.