Virtual CommunitiesFrom tribes to e-tribes

MKTG 6226 FSocial Media For Marketing and ManagementJanuary 24, 2011Pauline MUNIER

What is a tribe ?• “A tribe is any group of people, large or small, who

are connected to one another, a leader, and an idea.” (Godins, 2008)

• Historically based on kinship, now on cultural interests and social affiliations (Kozinets, 1999) people gather because of similar lifestyle and consumption activities, or more powerfully shared passions

• The stronger the emotional load, the tighter the tribe

Why do people decide to join tribes?▫Need to communicate and share with people:

socializing

“For millions of years, humans have been seeking out tribes, be they religious, ethnic, economic, political, or even musical (think of the Deadheads). It's our nature.” (Seth Godins, 2008)

▫Leadership aspirations▫Satisfaction and self-accomplishment (doing

something for the community)▫Experiencing different sides of their personality▫Search for information▫Search for support▫Etc.

Typology of tribes•In function of their link to the

marketplace, tribes can be divided in 4 themes (Cova, Kozinets & Shankar, 2007):

▫Activators▫Double Agents▫Plunderers▫Entrepreneurs

E-Tribes or Virtual Communities• Online groups of people who share social interactions

based on common interests, behaviors, practices and rules

“Social aggregations that emerge from the net when enough people carry on […] public discussions long enough, with sufficient human feeling, to form webs of personal relationships in cyberspace” (Howard Rheingold, 1993)

• Differences with tribes :▫ No geographical boundaries or time limitations▫ Quicker and more convenient▫ No physical encounters , fewer face-to-face interactions▫ Level of commitment▫ Process of integration into the community

The consumption knowledge grows as group standards are integrated and as social ties

develop between the members of the community

Virtual Communities of Consumption• Many e-tribal topics deal with consumption and

marketing interests (Kozinets, 1997-1998) and gather brand-enthusiasts, regular consumers of specific product categories…

• Community members can be divided in 4 groups according to both their interest in the consumption activity and their involvement in discussions and practices:

▫Tourists▫Minglers▫Devotees▫ Insiders

Communal Interactions : Orientations & Objectives

• People don’t join e-tribes for the same reasons, therefore they don’t share the same intentions while interacting and communicating.

• Motivations are either personally or socially motivated, and either short-term or long-term intended 4 modes of interactions are used :

▫ Informational mode (tourists & devotees)▫Relational mode (minglers & insiders)▫Recreational mode (minglers & tourists)▫Transformational mode (insiders & devotees)

Different forms of Virtual Communities

According to their social structure and theirpurpose, we can distinguish 4 main types :

• Dungeons (MUD) : game-playing/fantasy role-playing in a structured recreational mode

• Rooms (IRC) : chat rooms

• Rings & Lists : gathering of related homepages & e-mail mailing lists

• Boards : interest-specific message boards and forums