• Information Systems Review
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.175-195
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• 2019

This study conducted both big data and netnography analysis to analyze consumer needs and behaviors of online consumer community. Big data analysis is easy to identify correlations, but causality is difficult to identify. To overcome this limitation, we used netnography analysis together. The netnography methodology is excellent for context grasping. However, there is a limit in that it is time and costly to analyze a large amount of data accumulated for a long time. Therefore, in this study, we searched for patterns of overall data through big data analysis and discovered outliers that require netnography analysis, and then performed netnography analysis only before and after outliers. As a result of analysis, the cause of the phenomenon shown through big data analysis could be explained through netnography analysis. In addition, it was able to identify the internal structural changes of the community, which are not easily revealed by big data analysis. Therefore, this study was able to effectively explain much of online consumer behavior that was difficult to understand as well as contextual semantics from the unstructured data missed by big data. The big data-netnography integrated model proposed in this study can be used as a good tool to discover new consumer needs in the online environment.

• Journal of Information Technology Applications and Management
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.1-21
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• 2021

Recently, the importance of entrepreneurship based on innovative ideas is being emphasized. Most startup companies misunderstand that a good solution is a good idea, so they try to start a business by choosing an idea that prioritizes solutions, products, and technology rather than problem-first. However, to be a successful startup, it is essential to focus on the quality of the problems your customers are trying to solve. The online community is a place where many people exchange their thoughts and communicate with each other through a network, and communities about consumption, a concern of modern people, are developing. Against this background, this study proposed an integrated methodology that combines big data and netnography analysis so that entrepreneurs can use online community data to derive customer-centered startup ideas. The integrated methodology was verified based on the actual start-up case, who derived a startup idea based on the data of domestic cloth diapers online cafe. The case company found customer problems based on online community data and used it to develop startup items and new products. The integrated methodology for deriving entrepreneurial ideas in this study is expected to be an important guideline that explains in detail the consumer-centered idea derivation process.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.33-43
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• 2023

Purpose: The present study demonstrates the netnography technique to explore and understand crowds' perceptions on the donation distribution by charitable crowdfunding platform official social media, Facebook. Research design, data and methodology: This paper conducts a netnography design to examine the perceptions of online communities on four prominent charitable crowdfunding platforms' Facebook. A total of 93 comments are studied by collecting and analyzing their comments thematically. Results: This study illustrates two main themes which are 'Recommended Review' and 'Non-Recommended Review'. 'Recommended Review' can be explained into six sub-themes which are 'Role of Religion', 'Encouragement to Donate', 'Platform Reliability', 'Volunteering Value', 'Platform Support', and 'Donation Convenience'. While 'Non-Recommended Review' reveals that 'Rejected Donation Amounts', 'Rejection of Advertisements', and 'Review by Authorities'. Conclusion: Online community comments play an important role in providing input to the experience of donating through charitable crowdfunding. The crowdfunding platform can make a benchmark for the services offered. The comments are needed to be given attention by maintaining the interaction between the platform and donors to recruit new donors and maintain existing donors. This study provides better understanding on online community perception towards charitable crowdfunding platforms. This study also contributes the discussion on charitable crowdfunding and online marketing literatures.

• International Journal of Costume and Fashion
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.15-29
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• 2013

Today's technology enables consumers to trade millions of dollars, conduct online banking, access entertainment, and do countless other activities at the click of a button. Online social networks (OSN) have become a cultural phenomenon that allows for individualistic consumerism. Consumers are increasingly utilizing OSN to share ideas, build communities, and contact fellow consumers who are similar to themselves. The relevance of online communities to the music is immense especially because musicians are now using social media to build global audiences. Not only is information about music and performance disseminated online, but musical commodities are sold and traded online. Online music communities allow consumers to elect and create new identities online through the purchase of subcultural commodities. Given the growing economic importance of online music communities it is important to get a holistic view of subcultural communities online. This study utilized content analysis of online music community websites using the Netnography methodology as developed by Kozinet for data collection to analyze consumers' purchasing and consumption behavior of subcultural commodities online as related to the formation of subcultural identities. Findings showed that subcultural items are predominantly purchased online, especially digital music, and there is a need for more custom craft items. The authors presented a new conceptual taxonomy of online subcultural consumer classifications based on online behavior patterns.

• Journal of Korea Game Society
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.117-128
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• 2017

This research is the qualitative research on signals that mobile game users use to solve asymmetric information of game quality. Based on signal theory, we gathered data using Netnography. The findings are four types of signals for mobile games: platform-based signals with high/low participation rate of consumers, game developing company-based signals with high/low participation rate of consumers. The features that mobile gamers make decisions using signals are the following. First, ranking and the number of download have initial standard. Second, game marketing platform can be one of signals. Finally, the preference of signals is different with the goals and using pattern of games.

• The Journal of Information Systems
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.147-173
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• 2022

Purpose As the use of social network services has become common, it has become possible to freely communicate and establish relationships with other people anytime, anywhere for communication and information sharing. Influencers who have a strong influence on consumers' perceptions and attitudes through their own opinions and stories have appeared on various social media channels such as YouTube. Recently, companies utilize influencers with a large number of followers to check interactions with customers to understand customer attitudes and opinions about products in real time. Start-ups with insufficient resources need to quickly examine customer responses to reduce the probability of failure after product planning. The Lean process of creating an MVP and quickly confirming and learning the market response should be repeated over and over again. Findings In this paper, we try to suggest that the YouTube platform can play a sufficient role as a customer experiment space through examples. The case company is a company that has successfully commercialized products by continuously interacting with customers through the YouTube platform for the first four months of its founding. This paper is expected to be helpful in the experimental process for prospective founders and early founders to examine customer responses to reduce the probability of market failure before commercialization. Design/methodology/approach This paper analyzed the YouTube channel data of case companies based on the netnography methodology and presented the contents of the lean process management carried out in the experimental stage and the post-production stage through interview research.

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.131-150
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to observe the spread pattern of open source software (OSS) while establishing relations with surrounding actors during its operation period. In order to investigate the change pattern of participants in the OSS, we use a netnography on the basis of online data, which can trace the change patterns of the OSS depending on the passage of time. For this, the cases of three OSSs (e.g. jQuery, MooTools, and YUI), which are JavaScript frameworks, were compared, and the corresponding data were collected from the open application programming interface (API) of GitHub as well as blog and web searches. This research utilizes the translation process of the actor-network theory to categorize the stages of the change patterns on the OSS translation process. In the project commencement stage, we identified the type of three different OSS-related actors and defined associated relationships among them. The period, when a master commences a project at first, is refined through the course for the maintenance of source codes with persons concerned (i.e. project growth stage). Thereafter, the period when the users have gone through the observation and learning period by being exposed to promotion activities and codes usage respectively, and becoming to active participants, is regarded as the 'leap of participants' stage. Our results emphasize the importance of promotion processes in participants' selection of the OSS for participation and confirm the crowding-out effect that the rapid speed of OSS development retarded the emergence of participants.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.18 no.8
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• pp.23-33
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• 2020

Purpose: In the digital age, visual cues in computer-mediated environments are becoming a very popular means of communication. Therefore, it is a very critical market for marketers to utilize for marketing communication and platform providers and manufacturers of mobile devices which create and distribute the visual cues While the prevalent research on visual cue consumption focuses on the positive side, the dark side of consuming visual cues has not been investigated. Therefore, in this research, the dark side of using visual cues, such as difficulties and problems in their application, will be investigated. Research design, data, and methodology: Due to the nature of this study, a netnography approach was adopted. Twitter which the users regularly utilise visual cues in their communications was a prime source for data of this research. Results: This research suggests that visual cue users experience anxiety about the subordination of expression and suffer from the myth of an ideal practice of expression. Conclusions: As the previous research emphasised the complementary role of visual cues, has failed to recognise the problems associated with the extensive and growing dependence on visual cues. This awareness demonstrates that we need to take a careful approach to visual cue usage.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.815-829
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• 2020

The aim of this study is to investigate fashion activism that supports sustainability by pursuing social transformation through social media. This is achieved by publicizing the environmental and labor problems of the fashion industry. For this study, a literary survey and netnography were conducted from January 2017 to November 2020. We classified and analyzed environmental and labor issues that could be considered fashion activism on social media. The results are as follows. First, movements for conscious consumption appeared as #haulternative, #fashionourfuture, #SecondHandSeptember, and #wornwear projects. These movements are concerned with buying used goods, re-dressing clothes owned by individuals, and transforming and wearing them with new methods. Second, activism for environmental protection includes #fashionOnclimate by Global Fashion Agenda and Sustainable Fashion Matterz' #Watermatterz. These movements are directly involved in learning about the seriousness of environmental destruction caused by the fashion industry and participating in environmental protection with critical awareness. Third, the #whomademyclothes and the Clean Clothes Campaign are activism for improving the working environment, and are playing a role in publicizing labor issues by informing the general public about inadequate working conditions linked to the fashion industry. Thus, fashion activism on social media examined in this study can contribute to visualizing chronic problems that hinder sustainable development within the fashion industry.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.1105-1127
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• 2022

This study investigated the role of fashion granfluencers as cultural intermediaries in the present digital era. The concept of fashion granfluencer as cultural intermediaries and their fashion style characteristics were defined and examined. The literature on cultural intermediaries, social media, and seniors in the context of fashion was reviewed. Primarily, three characteristics of cultural intermediaries-interactive communication, nonconformist attitude, and aesthetic disposition-were identified and used as analytical variables in this study. Through netnography, 1,452 Instagram posts from the renowned fashion granfluencer Iris Apfel (@iris.apfel) were examined. This study presented Iris as a fashion granfluencer and a senior professional, who uses fashion to express herself and define her identity. As a cultural mediator, she contributes to revitalizing the cultural economy and creating cultural products. Iris Apfel' fashion and style embody her digital persona. Her engagement in fashion activities-producing fashion content or attending fashion events-mediates the relationship between fashion producers and fashion consumers, thereby promoting the aesthetic value of fashion.