Abstract

The predictions of growing consumer power in the digital age that predated the turn of the century were fueled by the rise of the Internet, then reignited by social media. This article explores the intersection of consumer behavior and digital media by clearly defining consumer power and empowerment in Internet and social media contexts and by presenting a theoretical framework of four distinct consumer power sources: demand-, information-, network-, and crowd-based power. Furthermore, we highlight technology's evolutionary role in the development of these power sources and discuss the nature of shifts in power from marketers to consumers in terms of each source. The framework organizes prior marketing literature on Internet-enabled consumer empowerment and highlights gaps in current research. Specific research questions are elaborated for each source of power outlining the agenda for future research areas.

Conclusion

This article has aimed to examine the intersection between digital media and consumer behavior, specific to consumer empowerment. We have defined consumer power in Internet and digital media environments and have presented a framework that describes the four distinct sources of consumer power: demand-, information-, network-, and crowd-based power. We also discussed how the infrastructure characteristics of Internet and social media platforms shape the appeal, effectiveness, and ability to empower. For each power source, we presented themes and questions that we believe will continue to be important areas for further research. These research questions are summarized in Table 1. We find that the discussion of consumer power through digital media is in its infancy; many aspects are not well understood. We hope the review and suggestions stimulate further research in this area and provide guidance for ways to investigate these key issues in the future.