The nomadic consumption community: the recursive role of space in community mobility

Abstract

This study uses the Boardania community case to illustrate and discuss two issues that arise from mobility in online consumption communities: (i) the processes involved in the management of consumption community as it collectively shifts in space and (ii) the transformation of the community by the new spaces it inhabits. Inspired by nomadism, it explores the relationships among consumption community, the collective movement of people, and current and potential future spaces. Applying process data analysis to data from an extended netnography, the study reveals space as a recursive object that can both change and be changed by the community. We conclude that spatial capabilities, dysfunctions and reconfigurations are essential to community life, power relationships and the definition of the community’s shared desired destiny.