EXPLORING SOCIAL CONTAGION WITHIN A TRIBE CALLED HIP HOP: MECHANISMS OF EVALUATION AND LEGITIMATION

Abstract

Social contagion—the spread and adoption of affects, behaviors, cognitions, and desires within a social group due to peer influence—is a widely studied phenomenon that continues to have a significant impact on commerce. When social contagion occurs within a culture of consumption, brands and branded products are not only adopted by the community, but they are also normalized and elevated from a strictly utilitarian function to identity-markers. Brands become important components of cultural meaning. Despite this impact, the specific details of the processes of social contagion are still relatively unknown. This dissertation studied social contagion within the hip hop culture of consumption, a multi-billion dollar marketplace. Using data from the Reddit social networking platform, the research provided empirical evidence that non-linear social contagion exists within the hop hip community for multiple brands. A netnography determined the processes by which brands and branded products spread within the hip hop community. Building on the established social processes of evaluation and legitimation that are known to drive the community coordination necessary for social contagion, the research uncovered four underlying mechanisms—responding, recontextualizing, reconciling, and reinforcing. These four mechanisms of evaluation and legitimation not only provide a richer understanding of social contagion but also enable the embedding of brands into culture and culture into brands. This theory-grounded empirical analysis of social contagion and meaning-making in the hip hop culture of consumption provides practical insights to marketers on how to better curate signals and communications to drive cultural meaning.