header image

[Sign Up Now] to Receive Our FREE Daily SCVTV-SCVNews Digest by E-Mail

Inside
Weather
Santa Clarita CA
Cloudy
Cloudy
62°F
 
Calendar
Today in
S.C.V. History
May 30
2013 - Powerhouse Fire breaks out in San Francisquito Canyon; will destroy 30 homes & 28 outbuildings [story]
Powerhouse Fire


CSUN researchers have found that consumers are turning to “digital vigilantism” to force businesses and other organizations to respond to their concerns.

The team of researchers at California State University, Northridge has some advice for providers of services to the public: listen and respond to their customers, particularly to what your customers are saying on social media.

If the providers do not, the researchers cautioned, the customers they disappoint can unleash a wave of consumer “digital vigilantism” that can damage brands and force a reckoning that can catch many organizations and businesses by surprise.

CSUN marketing professor Kristen Walker said digital vigilantism occurs when consumers turn into activists, and use the power of social media to share injurious and constructive content, whether they are ranting or hoping to inspire change.

“If they don’t like something or if they are trying to affect change, consumer citizens can use their voices on social media to rally the power of the internet to their side,” Walker said. “If they are successful, thousands, if not tens of thousands, of voices on social media will be joining theirs to express their displeasure and demand restitution or change.”

To demonstrate the power of the consumer voice in a digital world, Walker, fellow CSUN marketing professor Tina Kiesler and Kimberly Legocki, a recent doctoral graduate from France’s Grenoble Ecole de Management who studied with Walker at CSUN’s David Nazarian College of Business and Economics, examined the digital responses to the 2017 Charlottesville, Va., Unite the Right rally, which resulted in the death of one person and injuries to dozens more.

The researchers chose the rally because an independent review found that public service providers — police and city officials — were culpable in its aftermath.

Their study, “Sound and Fury: Digital Vigilantism as a Form of Consumer Voice,” was recently published in the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing.

“The Charlottesville rally, from a consumer’s perspective, was a perfect example to study,” Kiesler said. “There was a confirmed breakdown in the ability of service providers to follow through on consumer expectations — in this case, that city officials and law enforcement would do their jobs and avoid the violence that followed. An independent review said the city and police failed in their duties that day. So, you get that rare opportunity where an independent organization has said that, in this circumstance, consumer citizens were not getting their needs met.”

In the past, she noted, consumers may have resorted to a boycott to express their displeasure. The internet has provided them with another avenue to vent their frustrations —social media and specifically Twitter.

Legocki, Walker and Kiesler studied the digital responses to the rally, specifically the tweets.

The tweets were analyzed using qualitative thematic coding, cluster analysis and sentiment analysis. Tweets, during and after the rally, yielded five types of “digital vigilantism:” “Shame on Them!”, which concentrated on messages related to shaming; “Hear ye, hear ye…”, messages that shared content and opinions; “Can you believe this?”, messages that focused on seeking solutions, primarily involved in assisting law enforcement; “Let’s get ‘em!”, messages associated with revenge and seeking harm; and “Do the right thing,” messages that focused on sharing quoted retweets and original content.

The researchers found that social media platforms enable the creation of “distributed democracy efforts” and “digital neighborhoods,” where active citizens assume certain governmental responsibilities and tasks to solve a communal problem or improve a local community. This behavior, they said, extends to Twitter when public institutions remain silent during a crisis, forcing consumers to seek out and share news and information.

In the case of the Charlottesville rally, the government failed to fulfill its obligations, thus motivating some consumer citizens, such as Shaun King, to act as de facto police, utilizing social media as their medium and their voices as their weaponry.

“We believe this pattern can be repeated as the result of a service failure involving any type of organization,” the researchers wrote in the journal article.

Legocki, who spent more than 20 years as marketing professional and is now a marketing lecturer at CSU East Bay, said she is hoping the study will launch a serious discussion among marketing professionals as they consider the future of their field. She noted there is little data on the power of consumer activism in the digital age.

“What makes the Charlottesville example so interesting to research is the fact that online conversations were centralized around a single hashtag, ‘#Charlottesville,’ almost from the beginning. This made it possible to track events as they unfolded, as well as, the public’s immediate reaction,” Legocki said. “We witnessed a wide range of consumer citizen activist behaviors. Doxing (the public posting of private information) was the piece that was most fascinating to us. Because this was the first time that we could recall where doxing was intended for good.”

Some Twitter users in the Charlottesville incident accessed private information to identify and publicly shame any and every white nationalist who took part in the rally, whether they committed a crime or not. Others, however, focused on identifying only the white nationalists seen in photos and videos committing violent acts. The digital evidence was then turned over to the Charlottesville Police Department.

The researchers noted that while shame and demanding justice “appear to be dichotomous behavior, the desire to enforce social norms can motivate both helpful and harmful actions.”

Legocki, Walker and Kiesler said that by understanding how the public might respond when it perceives a business and other organizations doing wrong, those entities can develop appropriate social media monitoring and response strategies to ensure they are responsive to their customers’ concerns.

“As social media becomes an increasing means of power for consumers’ voices, it is critical for organizations to engage in social listening and take part in constructive conversations,” Walker said.

Comment On This Story
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.

0 Comments

You can be the first one to leave a comment.

Leave a Comment


SCV NewsBreak
LOCAL NEWS HEADLINES
Tuesday, May 30, 2023
June 5: Sidewalk CPR Event at Henry Mayo
Santa Clarita residents can learn Hands-Only CPR at the Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital main entrance and at Henry Mayo Fitness and Health during a special county-wide event on Monday, June 5. 
Tuesday, May 30, 2023
Graduate Says COC Will Leave Forever Mark
Nine years ago, Cinthia Zelaya immigrated to the U.S. from Honduras with the goal to continue her education in her newly adopted country.
Tuesday, May 30, 2023
City to Discuss 2023 Summer Programming Highlights
The city of Santa Clarita's Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission will hold its regular meeting Thursday, June 1, at 6 p.m.
Keep Up With Our Facebook

Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
College of the Canyons standout forward Rebekah Brooks will be transferring to San Diego State University to continue her soccer career at the NCAA Division I level as an Aztec. 
COC Standout Rebekah Brooks Headed to San Diego State
Santa Clarita residents can learn Hands-Only CPR at the Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital main entrance and at Henry Mayo Fitness and Health during a special county-wide event on Monday, June 5. 
June 5: Sidewalk CPR Event at Henry Mayo
Nine years ago, Cinthia Zelaya immigrated to the U.S. from Honduras with the goal to continue her education in her newly adopted country.
Graduate Says COC Will Leave Forever Mark
The city of Santa Clarita's Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission will hold its regular meeting Thursday, June 1, at 6 p.m.
City to Discuss 2023 Summer Programming Highlights
Permanent disabled person parking placard holders who have had their placards for six or more years must provide a signature to the DMV to renew this year.
DMV Reminding Drivers Placards Expire June 30
The California Department of Transportation announces the scheduled closures of on- and off-ramps along Interstate 210 between La Crescenta-Montrose and La Canada Flintridge to upgrade curb ramps, install Accessible Pedestrian Signal systems and pedestrian countdown timers and re-stripe crosswalks to conform to current Americans with Disabilities Act standards.
Caltrans Announces New I-210 Ramp Closures
2013 - Powerhouse Fire breaks out in San Francisquito Canyon; will destroy 30 homes & 28 outbuildings [story]
Powerhouse Fire
The inaugural Summer Fest Weekend at Agua Dulce Winery will be held June 24-25 at Agua Dulce Winery 9640 Sierra Highway, Agua Dulce, CA 91390. This special two day event will feature a craft fair, musical guests, food trucks, summer games, mini cellar tours and more.
June 24-25: Summer Fest at Agua Dulce Winery
The Sons of the American Legion Squadron 507 Newhall will host the Fourth Annual Castaic Lake RV Park Car and Motorcycle Show on Saturday, June 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
June 17: Fourth Annual Castaic Lake RV Park Car, Motorcycle Show
Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios will release the new feature animation film "Elemental" on June 16. The film is directed by California Institute of the Arts alum Peter Sohn (Film/Video BFA 1999). Sohn, who previously directed The "Good Dinosaur" and "Partly Cloudy," is also credited with co-writing the story for the new film.
CalArts Alum Peter Sohn Directs New Pixar Feature ‘Elemental’
When John Banks ’72 (Art), M.A. ’94 (Three-Dimensional Art) left California State University, Northridge with a bachelor’s degree, he already had an impressive commission on his resume. In 1972, Banks had entered the university’s art competition to design a new sign for the newly named California State University, Northridge, formerly known as San Fernando Valley State College.
Iconic CSUN Campus Landmark Celebrates 50th Birthday
The city of Santa Clarita invites the public to an open house event on Wednesday, May 31, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. to share the preliminary design of the planned improvements and expansion of David March Park.
May 31: Open House to Share Expansion Plans for David March Park
Celebrate is a unique cultural experience that brings the history and traditions of people and places from around the world to the Canyon Country Community Center every second Friday from April to September. The next Celebrate event will be held Friday, June 9 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
June 9: Celebrate Peru at Canyon Country Community Center
The Canyon Theatre Guild in Old Town Newhall will host a free artist reception for Therese Verner on Friday, June 2 at 4 p.m. The two-hour reception will include light refreshments. Over 40 artworks are on display. This is an opportunity to meet the artist in person and discuss her work.
June 2: Therese Verner Artist Reception at CTG
The College of the Canyons women's volleyball program invites girls and boys ages 8-14 to participate in the 2023 COC Volleyball Camp, with registration now open for two sessions beginning in July.
Registration Open for 2023 COC Summer Volleyball Camp
Caleb Pouliot's win in the pole vault was the highlight of the final day of competition for The Master's at the 2023 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Track & Field Outdoor National Championships at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Ind.
TMU Track’s Pouliot is NAIA Pole Vault National Champion
An emergency preparedness workshop will be held Saturday, June 10 from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. to assist Santa Clarita Valley families with readiness for the next emergency or natural disaster. The workshop will include free presentations and a Q&A with emergency response representatives covering safety from fires, earthquakes, floods and more.
June 10: Emergency Preparedness Workshop
1987 - Director John Landis acquitted of charges in deaths of Vic Morrow and two child actors on Valencia set of "Twilight Zone: The Movie" [story]
John Landis and Harland Braun
1888 - Olympian Jim Thorpe, "America's greatest athlete," born in Indian Territory (probably near Prague, Okla.); later in life, appeared in many B-Westerns shot in Placerita Canyon [story]
Jim Thorpe
1971 - Community preview night (pre-grand opening), Magic Mountain [story]
opening night ticket to Magic Mountain
Volunteer to help on Tuesday, May 30 at the Trek Bike Park of Santa Clarita to help maintain the park and keep it safe for users.
May 30: Volunteers Sought for Trek Bike Park Workday
ARTree Community Art Center is a non-profit arts center located in Newhall offering several new opportunities this summer to make art.
ARTree Community Art Center Offers Summer, Fall Classes
In a thrilling finish, The Master's University's Davis Boggess out-kicked St. Mary's Emad Bashir-Mohammed to win the 10K title at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics National Track & Field Outdoor Championships in Marion, Ind. on Wednesday, May 24.
TMU Men’s Track Star Boggess Wins 10K National Championship
Caltrans has announced that it was awarded $7.7 million in federal Advanced Transportation Technology and Innovation grant funding to support the Southern California Mobility Wallet, an innovative way to improve access to transportation through a seamless payment system.
Caltrans Awarded $7.7M Advanced Technology Grant
SCVNews.com
%d bloggers like this: