Interaction Ritual Chains and the Mobilization of Conscientious Consumers

Markets for “socially responsible” products are comprised of activists who lead protests, organize boycotts, and promote the
consumption of these goods. However, the ultimate success of these movements is dependent upon the support of a large number
of consumers whose self-professed values often contradict with their own purchasing patterns. Consumer support of socially
responsible products cannot be explained by consumer culture theories, which privilege identity, attitudes, and behavior, or mass consumption theories, which emphasize location and advertising’s influence on consumption patterns. These perspectives are informative
but unable to explain why some consumers will only buy socially responsible products while others with similar value systems
possess much more contradictory consumption patterns. I extend Collin’s theory of “Interaction Ritual chains” to show that
rituals and emotions—more than identity or coercive advertising—explain how ethical consumers are mobilized. I show how face-to-face
interactions between consumers and producers produce solidarity and motivate support for the Fair Trade movement. This paper
employs a micro-sociological approach to contribute to studies of ethical consumption in three notable ways: 1) it emphasizes
the importance of “contexts” and is able to explain contradictions in consumer behavior; 2), it contributes to our understanding
of “brand communities” by describing the micro-sociological processes that both help to build these communities and create
value within the products that organize these groups; and 3) it offers the potential to develop a predictive model for the
purchasing patterns of consumers.