Coping With Crisis: The Paradox of Technology and Consumer Vulnerability
Date
Authors
Yap, SF
Xu, Y
Tan, LP
Supervisor
Item type
Journal Article
Degree name
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Wiley
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented disruptions in consumers’ daily lives. Regulations imposing social distancing, quarantine and full-scale lockdowns have heightened the risks amongst vulnerable consumer groups such as the elderly and socially or financially disadvantaged. However, these restrictions have also caused transitory vulnerability in many people who are not considered vulnerable under normal circumstances. Digital technology has become central to almost every aspect of consumers’ lives in response to restriction measures and in coping with pandemic-induced stress and anxiety. Technology-mediated consumption as a coping strategy amidst a crisis is an under-researched topic within the marketing literature. This paper discusses four paradoxes of technology central to understanding the nexus between technology consumption and consumer vulnerability. We propose a comprehensive research agenda and call for future research that could overcome the limitations of traditional research designs. Our work serves as a springboard for future scholarship and opens doors for other researchers to continue exploring this critical research area.Description
Keywords
35 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services, 3503 Business Systems In Context, 3506 Marketing, Behavioral and Social Science, Social Determinants of Health, Emerging Infectious Diseases, Mental Health, Coronaviruses, Infectious Diseases, Basic Behavioral and Social Science, Generic health relevance, 1505 Marketing
Source
International Journal of Consumer Studies, ISSN: 1470-6423 (Print); 1470-6431 (Online), Wiley, 45(6), 1239-1257. doi: 10.1111/ijcs.12724
Publisher's version
Rights statement
This is the Author's Accepted Manuscript version of an article published in the International Journal of Consumer Studies © 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. The Version of Record is available at DOI: 10.1111/ijcs.12724