Disruptive Economy, Digital Technologies and Consumption

Dear Colleagues,

Major disruptions in the global supply chain and consumption often derive from significant changes in sociopolitical and economic situations, some of which include the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia–Ukraine war, Brexit, and worldwide inflation. Beyond the changing of the sociopolitical landscape, technological advancements such as metaverse technology, augmented reality, the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence, big data analytics, and blockchain also shape and shift the way in which people think, feel, and consume. In this digital age, social connectivity, experiential engagement, and emotional pleasure have become increasingly important in the process of consumption. As such, social media and digital technologies are widely used across businesses of all kinds as imperative tools to connect with consumers on a deeper emotional level. During the pandemic, for instance, many companies (e.g., Red Bull, Samsung, Gucci) sought opportunities to collaborate with gaming and eSports businesses to tap into a new consumer market segment. Thus, it would be meaningful to gain a deeper understanding, from users'/consumers’ perspectives, of topics such as (co-)creation and personalization, reality and hyperreality, intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation, experiential consumption and consumer wellbeing, and sustainable practices and collaborative consumption.

To understand changes in consumer behavior during and following major disruptions in sociopolitical and economic circumstances, a transdisciplinary/cross-disciplinary approach, theoretical and empirical research, mixed-methods research, or methods involving technological devices (e.g., eye-tracking, virtual reality, EEG, NIRS, fMRI, MEG, data mining, machine learning) can be used for exploration and investigation. This Special Issue focuses on fusing new developments with research in behavioral sciences. Research topics include but are not limited to the following themes:

• Impacts of disruptions (social, political, economic, and technological) on consumer behavior;
• The change in consumer behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic;
• Panic buying and consumer wellbeing;
• The influences of metaverse technology (e.g., social media, online gaming, virtual reality, augmented reality);
• Consumers’ reaction to digital technologies;
• Cultural differences around and influences on how people connect and consume in a digital age;
• Video gaming and collaboration;
• Consumers’ online/offline shopping;
• Exploration of consumers’ shopping experiences and emotion;
• Sustainable practices and development in the new norm;
• Sharing economy and collaborative consumption;
• Disruptive marketing and social media marketing;
• Short-form content on social media (Instagram Reels and TikTok) and consumer behavior.
• Co-branding and storytelling.

Dr. Osmud Rahman
Dr. Gabriel R. D. Levrini
Dr. Zhimin Chen
Guest Editors

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