Authentic subcultural membership: Antecedents and consequences of authenticating acts and authoritative performances

Abstract

The postmodern consumer often finds authenticity in communities of consumption including those that are based around a focal brand. Two means through which authenticity can be achieved are an individual authenticating act or a collective authoritative performance. Using this dual lens, the contested nature of authenticity within subcultures is explored. Drawing on long, interpretive interviews with surfers, skaters, and snowboarders, it was found that the contested nature of authentic community membership is driven by different identity benefits, including flow and kinship. These two separate benefits lead members to engage different brand-related cues when seeking an authentic brand partner. This paper advances the understanding of subcultural authenticity by identifying the diversity of identity goals sought from membership of consumption communities and by linking antecedents and outcomes of authenticity, and associated consumption behaviors.

Market practices in countercultural market emergence

“…From this perspective, importantly, our data illustrate a paradoxical negotiation of "authentic" consumption experiences that has been described in much of countercultural market literature (Arsel and Thompson, 2011;Beverland et al, 2010;Frank, 1997;Heath and Potter, 2005;Kozinets, 2002;Schouten and McAlexander, 1995). While pushing the dubstep sound into new interesting directions the focal market actors were constantly concerned of the consequences of the market practices they engaged in.…”

“…The explanation for this can be sought from the authenticity paradoxes and tensions inherent to counterculture (Arsel and Thompson, 2011;Beverland et al, 2010;Frank, 1997;Heath and Potter, 2005). We contend that such tensions hold together and energize otherwise fragile and small-scale market configurations.…”

“…As suggested by several prior studies, countercultural consumption contexts abound in contemporary society (Arnould and Thompson, 2005). They are also distinctive in the way they carry with them powerful and resonant identity myths (Holt, 2004), ideological tensions (Arsel and Thompson, 2011;Thompson and Coskuner-Balli, 2007), rebelliousness and resistance (Kozinets, 2002;Schouten and McAlexander, 1995;Thornton, 1995), political and aesthetic deviance (Heath and Potter, 2005) and authenticity paradoxes (Rose and Wood, 2005;Beverland et al, 2010). Although the links between countercultural and mainstream market dynamics have been widely recognized, notably through theories of co-optation through which commercial actors absorb and adapt countercultural ideas, styles, myths and symbols into marketable value offerings (Frank, 1997;Thompson and Coskuner-Balli, 2007), systematic analyses of how market actors engage in market practices in countercultural settings are scant.…”

“…However, much of the prior countercultural research has focused primarily on exploring the variety and different forms of "authentic" consumer identity, myths, lifestyles and negotiation of community membership (Beverland et al, 2010). For example, most studies on music scenes have tended to focus analysis on understanding identity and style of various genres -including jazz (Becker, 2004), rock (Cohen, 1991), punk (Hebdige, 1979) and dance (Thornton, 1995;Goulding et al, 2009).…”

Consuming the Objectified Self: The Quest for Authentic Self

“…Historically authenticity, as being true and genuine in essence, is an incompatible concept in characterizing commercial objects, as selfish material motives are obstacles of achieving a state of self-authentication (Beverland, Farrelly, & Quester, 2010). However, consumer research, particularly since the late twentieth century, notes that consumers search for authenticity in consuming commercial objects and services.…”