Saied Reza Ameli; Seyed Ahmad Askari
Abstract
The concept of shopping in cultural studies has been changed by the spread of social media in the form of virtual markets and online shopping, as an identity-maker action. Examining the role of virtual social networks on Tehran people’s shopping experiences, this article aims to identify the differences ...
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The concept of shopping in cultural studies has been changed by the spread of social media in the form of virtual markets and online shopping, as an identity-maker action. Examining the role of virtual social networks on Tehran people’s shopping experiences, this article aims to identify the differences between shopping experience in virtual and real spaces.To capture the meaning of the shopping experience in the first and second spaces, the present research uses the paradigm of dual spacization, and studying the pattern of shopping behavior in Instagram and Telegram channels, it intends to investigate this dual-spacization field using ethnographic and netnographic methods.Identifying and then explaining, the typology of virtual stimulating and limiting factors through online and offline shopping spaces observations, it turned out that Instagram and Telegram are more an advertising means for real market goods than a space for direct shopping. The research findings show that while shopping for the sake of spending leisure times and hanging around is common in both real and virtual markets, but contrary to the idea of Michel deCerteau and thinkers, who advocate resistance, leisure, pleasure and hanging around of the audience, involving actively in shopping malls and membership in virtual channels, the buyer is engaged in a"consumption cycle" so that consumer tactics have not been able to be used as an emancipating element in the strategy of consumer society.
