ffi lumlf,nufr JuttHil{nrs

.Tournal of Consumer Research, Inc.

Ixtended Self in a Dlgltal World

Author(s): Russell W. Belk
Source: Iournal of Consumer Research, Vol. 40, No. 3 (October eOta), pp. 427_S0O
Publlshed by: The University of Chicaso press
Stable URL: trttt@to_s:
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 Extended Self in a Digital Wortd

RUSSELL W. BELK

Th€ exlended sell was proposBd ln ,lSgB.

Slnce lt was lomulated, manv tech.
nologtcat changes havo dramatcaly
sotvos, and communlcate, Thls conceotual
arected the way we ion;,r;';;;-J;r.i;rr.
tncorporato the tmpacts or drsttizarion,.a0d
rpA"U ru6rc'io i""jl"i;: i;;:;;;:r,,
-ri.-r"d""i"iiiiiil;i;;;fi;",
p;rroi
sense or sErf rn roday's technorogicar
prcgress, for lhe dtgttat envtronmeit .nvronment. rt Is necessarily a work ln
andour.oenavror wri-nrniicJnil'J";":ilr".
Bur some imporranr chanses are
akeady crear.
sumplion ara constdered that tmpacr
n;" liiiiigl;l,iih iri,ilill*
ths ;"trr" or ,"rf i"ni n;il;"
slons. Needed modi,icailons and
"ni sell are outllned. and
addiths to the extended
dtrecttons lor lutur€ rssesrch are suggested.
"y;.:""_
ff," ofgirit *"ljipJ"; ;illi;i;",
[tr$itrti[:i"f,[,1.:1,j",#*::n#:im:,,",11;":l;:"*ii#y

All this conlent forms a rich collcction Lhst

rcllets who you *'.ia *hil yo, think. .. . f_j thallengc to or repudiation of rhe exrcnded self, which
whcD othffi rcspond wirh , rcmans. morc vital than evcr in thc digital world. Rathe(
o, *- it
thcy'rc adding valuc ro "orr"nt
your cotteciton. ls meant b consider what is simila, cliferent,
a"a in ne"J'oi
'.1c1'
As morc. . photos, change, fiat is, an updatc.
. . . movies, and e-mail
mssagcs arc cratEd, rhc cntirc collection
comcs a hrllerreflectioo ofvou. (cmolt
bc_ This
-conccptualizition bcgins with a brief review of thc
and original formulation of the"iiienoea ,.rr. riri-"nuniis
Romano 201 l, ,)
:1;rpi"q |i"..-"ri ir"r"ia,g,l^i age are rhen presenred:

fI
wcntl-fivc years ago, whcn Bclk (t988) prernrcd
rhc fl) -Dtmateriatization'of self, and (ii $;i;;; 12) Riembo"di*.rt,
concip-t of rire e*r.ia.o *ir, ,1...
rerson^, were alriadv
:,o-l.tuction
;4J^:^o changcs 15) Distriburc j M;;;;:
compurcrs.Butrherewerenowcbpager,""l".g#I.r.;.i rnese are assessed in terms of irrplicarions for
engines, virtual worlds, socia.l mediq lnremet_ Jur understanding of the self, rhe nature oi po.r.rrion.,
phones. MP-3 playem. or ,iiBi,;;;.;:'ftil';;
e-mait smrrr and,our relationships wirh (hings in a <ligiral
]ll:'.: worrd. I con-
rurureresearch issues
ilx'::T:"'j-l*.l*il':5':l,j5jjt':'*i*1,#::: :J;:,,Ijt';:-5,?i;':-'1"["J'Ti;l-
temirisric abour rhe effects of rechnol"Bi;;;;;,;ff;.
renr digital tcchnorosies re merely ,rri, rr,." ii-r-rrrrln Tlm ORIGINAL
rechnological hisrory tha( bcgar in paleolirhi" ;ir.r.
-lr;;_ EXTENDBD sEr,F
enheles, it .ria.nt it ur iii*.rr.n, wave
of rligital tcch-
FORMULATION
"
noiogics is funcJamentally chmging consume. t.irrr"r',^
wavs thar have signi6cant imoricirio-ns,b.
Drawing on James, Sirnmei, Fromrn. csikszerrrniharyi.
rh. f";;l;;i;; ;i and many'othero,'B;r'(;9;;;';;,.d that ,,kncwingry or
lhe exrended sclf lt is time ftr m updare.
Ttis is not mcanr unknowingly, intenrionally or uninrentionalrv.
we resar.r
our.posscss-ionsasPiltsofourselvcs,'tr:sirr,eiliicli
Ruscll 8.lr (rbctk@$hurich.vorr(u.,):
in Mrrkcdnt schulich sch@l of-Busincs,
Kr"r Fooa, cr*Itilf posiied anirdivid";l s;liwiri'un' inn.. core self as well
York Univcroirv. +700 KcJ L ugg..grt. sclves ranging from family to neighbrlrhood
fr niiio,. Enhancing tr,'.,r,.rr'io,,t,u.rions arc vrious
+f::,:,Ti:'i::.i,ffi;::,ftriil,-"ilfr*;*ml,*ii
n. i, or.o g,",.ni,o ;;;;;;;;;;.:J:,::::i
or rhis dilctr. possessions, which regardcd by ttreir ownero as having
four.!tronymous tcvicwc^ for rhcir hctp
fl;: tltltnt dcgrees of_are
centrality ro one or more of their in]
DumEr ot rcvFrons
rn gurdrns hc Mictc rhrneh , ,.
orvtoual or aggregate semcs of self, The focus
on posses-
Am Mcoi, N etitor ant ramc' Btnoushs
'.nct
e.litorfo.hiro,lict4 scrucd ot ottocioe il?l;#'I'ffTj:J,1::i:rl*ri:T ,l,;**ty.*it
commodity origins. Based on i"v"ral studics
thar he and
Et'ctruniciltt! prbtirh.d Mov ?, 201j colleagucj conJucted, g.it l 9gi)'*rrarized
t that ,,thc
majoriatcgorics"f"il;;j;;iiiar.eourlbody'intemaI
477

O Il3 b, ,OUUAL OF CONSuMEI EEARCil. he .

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 4',78
JOUBNAL OF CONSUMER FESEASCH

TABLE 1

SUMMARY OF DIGITAL MOOIFICATIONS OF THE EXTENDED SELF

Oigital dimenslon
9olt Possessions
Dematerlallzatlon
Attachmenl to and slnguladzallon ol vlrtual possessions;
almost, bul nol qulto the same
Heembodlm€nt Avalarc allml ofltine sEl,; lnufitpliclty o, solvos
Altachment to avalars
Sharlng Sell revelailon; loss 0, control
Aggregalo possssslons; sensg ol shared placo online
Co{onslructlon of self Alfirmaton ol selli bulldlng aggregate extendsd
se[; .Attachment lo VtrtuaiFoslessions ln
Vldegames.

Olstribuled msmry Narailv€s ot selt

Oigital cluner; dlgital ees to sens€ ol past

and cxpericnccs, and rhosc pcrsons,

!l*::."r,,ideas,
places,.and things ro which onc feels atrached. Of thesc
pactcd by rhc concept of6c cxtcndcd self. These
areas include
collections, pets,-money, organ donation, gifts, and produci
categories, thc last thrcc appcar to bc thc most clearlv
disposition and disuse. Nonc of these uei
requirc ipecific
exyelded. Howcver, given thc difficulries in seoaratin's
ulqac\ing here, bur several conb:asts in tlre digita.l exiended
mrnd and body in philosophies and psychologiei of
rh! self will be developed.
selr . . obJccts in all of thcse categories wilt bc trcatcd
as . . parts of thc cxtcnded sclf" (l4l).
Among- thc important points herc arc that thc sclf
is secn
THE EXTENDED SELF IN A DIGITAL
ro. embodicd (i.c., not merely thoughrs) u^a rtat WORLD_WIIAT'S NEW?
,at..iai
rhrngs (1.e., obJects in thc noun categories) most clearlv
makc up thc cxtendcd self. Other p.o-pl. *. Uott, , In at
tlrc five sections that follow, I fimt prsent major chargcs
uent of rhc sclf (i.e,, lcvcls of rire iggregatc selfl"onsiii
ana $1 laking place duc ro each digital pb.no..non, tl-*,
potenrially 'objects,' rhar form prrt oiit"-""t"na"i follow wirh discussion of thc updares-neecftd to tlrc concepts
(as seen in thc "tcndency to claim casual
,iii ofself and possessions in order to accomodate thesc changts.
acquaintan;e;;;
closc friends and drop prominent namcs in convcrsations Thblc I offers asumrnary of thcsc updates. en overiding isiui
Itol enhancc perceptions that backgrounds thesc chugcs is thc degre to which -virtual
of one's populrity and sratus
. .- lubbgg 'pronoia',,; CotOncr tg]lZ, tSO).
self construction onlinc trarofers into nonvimral self construc-
Belk (1988) nored rhar possessions compiising the ex_ tion offiine. fu will be rguccl in the section on reembodiment,
tended self serve no( only al cucs for others ro ior_ i-- the old idea of a mrc self is m iltusion. As such, rhe relarionship
pressions about us but also as markers for intlividual berween.online and oflli:re pcmonas becornes a key to definin!
and tlrc self in a digital age
collective
-memory. The memory marker objects of ex-
rendcd sell' function both intenrionally and rninrcnrionailv
ro prompt recollections of our prior experienccs, linkagei Dematerialization
to other peoplc, and our previous selvei
lgelk t99l,1. fhe
extstence ot concrete mukers wrs nor taken to mean
rhat
ue disappearrnr nghl before our eyes. The tirsr
the- memorics ue veridical; borh thc objccts wc prcscrve o,-Things
hvc ues of change in i digiral world is {he dcmlrer_
and rhc memories associated wirh thcm -were aesJriUeJ ialiation of mmy of our posscssions. Today our infonna_
as
self-enhancing and noslalgic. The sclf was .rp."*J io tron, communicrtions, photos, vidcos, music, calculations,
continually changc over rlre life course, and phoiographs, messages, "written" words, and data ue now lugely invis-
gifts, and souvcnirs wcrc seen m promincni amo-ng'th; ible and immatcrial until wc choosc ro call them tLrt-h. Thcv
objects anchoring an individual'c oi grorp's *..ori?. arc composed of electronic s(reams of ones and zeroes thar
of
sch change. Incvitably it wal oot simply facrs but emo- may bc stored locally or in somc hard to imaginc cloud.
tions rhat werc found ro be cued by thisi objccts. For cxample, rather thm a row of rccords, CDi or DVDs
that we can hmdJe, rcarrange, cxmine, and dusc, our music
. Thc original article (Belk lggg) aiso detailcdvarious evi_ has comc to residc somcwherc inside our digiral storagc
dene rhat objccts fom a pan ofexrenrlcd sctf1c.g., ouifain
wncn rhey ilc.lost or stolcn); specified proccsse! Uy whictr dcvicts or on servirs whosc locadon ve will ievcr knoi.
cathccrcd In.d.igitizing his CD collection, Dibbell (2000) renectcd
:bJTT -d a pan of seli dcrivcd impiicadons
"" ciuc; considcrcd
tor obJect on WaJtcr Benjamin's (1930/1968) ,,Unpacking my Librry"
how thc existcntial sratcs of hav-
ing, being, an!.d9ing are relared; derailcd rhc ontological and considercd what may bc lost in dimaterfi]iiatioo; '
processes by which we seletively relatc to ou
environm;nts; For Benjamin, ., collecring was a passion, erotic at hcart,
mo ourtrned vaf,ous arcas of consumption likcly to bc im_
and likc ull such passions it upproachcd the soul o,.its object

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 BELK
4?9

(hrough the body, through Uc objcct's physical manil.estttion

these items ue stored on a remote serve( arc they rcally
and thc history wriu.en palpably on its surfaccs. Bcnjamin ours? Or is physical posscssion a pilt ofpredigihl thinking
lovcd his bmks no( so much for thc words t}cy containcd that hil givcn way to access? Thc subsections that tbllow
as for the indissolublc blcnd ofcontcnt, crafl, and wcq_and_ offer somc insight.
ter that told $c story of ach book's fateful journcy to itl
placc in his libruy. Needed Extended Self Updates due to Dematerialiution:
L Anachnent antl Singularhation The emergcncc of de-
So, at nrst blush much was losr as Dibbell's 1,000-plus matcrialized md nonmatcrial posscssions raiscs thc qucstion
CDs migrated inlo digital ciphers of their fonnu phyiical of whclhcr consumers cm bccome as attached to immatcrial
selves. But hc goa on to suggcst that this is a new ki;d of possessions il thcy can to matcrial possessions (which in-
collccting rhat is also magical, thrilling, and cnthralling. Hc cludc digital devices) and whether we can gain status and
mtrvels at thc ease of onlinc acquisition, thc ease of instantly an enhanccd sense of sclf from virtual possessions. Follow-
rccatcgorizin-g and remanging tuns, and the euc of shuing ing Bclk (1988), we may also rok wbether wc moum rhc
them with distant ofiers. Hc found a new kind of intimac! Ioss of digital possessions md feel a diminishcd scnsc of
with his music, reletred frcm its Dlastic prison and ootcntiallv self. Dcnegri-Knott md Molcsworrh (2010a, ll0) propose
infomed by lhe comments of lcgions of .nr.r, af,cionados, that virtual goods occupy a liminal category bctwcen thc
Although this may bc a overly optimistic appraisal of com_ matcrial world and the imaginey world. They poinr out rhnt
pcnsatory gains, it does hinr at new possibilities with digital "DVC [digita.l virtual consumprion] also differs from ma-
music. terial consumption as thc object of consumption lacks ma-
Wc can bcgin to scc herc somc basic behavioml changcs. tcrial substmce and cannot be used in materia.l reality (a
What was prcviously a morc privatc acr of music acquisiiion digital virtual sword cmnot cut; a digital virtual car c8nnot
and apprcciation can bccomc morc of a group pmiticc. In be uscd to transport its owncr)."
terms_ofGoffman's (t959) presentarion of self; rhe ability Lehdonvirta (2012) tales issue wirh rhis distinction, ar-
to publish our playliss onlinc can say a great dcal mori guing that "there is no such rhing s complerely immaterial
about us thatr opening the windows and cranking up our consumption" (22). As Slater (1997) emphasizcs, ,,even
stereo. And it appcars that we can judge others' pcnoniliries material commodities appear to havc a greater non-material
quite well bascd on the music that thcy listen to (c.g., Rcnt- componcnt. This includes . . dcsign, packaging and ad-
frow and Gosling 2003, 2006), Not only is this truc of vertising imagcry" (193). Lchdonvina (2012) also argucs
individuals, but muical tastcs uc often shtred and murually that wc spend moncy on virtual goods when wc buy scrvices
shaped such that group idcntitics uc also exprcssed and like movics and gambling And hc rgues that virtual goods
coalcccd through shared musical prefcrences (Brown and are no less real or able to satisfy desires than material goods,
Sellen 2006; O'Hara and Brown 2006; Voida, Griorcq and but rathcr thcir use is restrictcd to certain situationsjust as
Duchcneaut 2006). Horst, Hcrr-Stephcnson, and Robinson gardcn and kitchen tools arc used in different situations.
(2010) found rhat, for the Califomia reens thcy srudied, Finally, Lchdonvina (2012) argucs that phcnomenologically
listening to music together wu a focus of hmging out u digital goods ue very real to their ownen and that on the
well as sharing musica.l rasres. Thcir digital shuing did nor lntcmet it is material goods that are not real.
stop with music, but also involvcd.linlis to videos, infor- These points are well talien, but they do not negatc De,
mariofl abour arrisr, md lyrics. Thanks to demarerialization negri-Knort md Molesworth's (2010a) rgumenr rhat digiral
and the Iotemet, we can also shre such enthusiasm with a vinual goods may work differenrly than marerixl goods.
much broadcr imagined community (Born 201 I ). Specifica)ly, they suggesl four functions rhar virrual con-
It is true that musical tmres and marker goods could even- sumplion can fulfill; (l) ir cu srimulare consumer desire
rua.lly become known in predigital convemarions and by for both material and virrual goods; (2) it can acrua]ize pos-
swapping CDs (Rirson and Eltiou i999) and vinyl disks siblc daydrcams, such as (hose of wcalth and status by en.
(Magaudda 201 l), but with nothing like the speed ofbrows- acting thcm in video games; (3) it can acrualize impossible
ing someone's iTunes libruy, perusing their playlists on fmtasics, such as being a magicim or space pirate witlr
Facebook, scanning rheir online daring profile, or reading magical objecrs; md (4) it cm lacilitate experimcntarion.
their blog or forum coments. And music is just onc of thi such as bcing a criminal in a video game or being a producer
dematcrializcd artifacts rhat arc ransforming thc ways in selling goods on eBay. Lchdonvirta might have more suc-
which we reprcsent oursclvcs, get to know othcr people, cessfully argued that all idenrities ac vinual idenriries. Thar
and inreract. Siddiqui and Turlcy (2006) observc that col. is, whether they ile exprcsscd through material or virtual
lcctions, picturcs, lemcrs, music, and grecting ctrds havc all goods, our cxtcmal identity and iDternal sensc of sclf ue
been trmsformed into dcmaErializcd digital arrifacts. Thcrc imaginuy constructs or working hypothescs subject to con-
arc also digital posscssions that ncvcr had a matcrial analog stmt rcfom.
- existence; as rithmagic swords and shiclds in virtual game Thcsc pcrspectivcs on thc'haruid bf digit?il'piosscssions
worlds. stop short of answering thc qucstions of wherher vinual
Thc burning question that remains is whcther a dematcr- possessions are capablc of a[achment, self-extension, sin-
ialired book, photo, or song can bc integral to our cxtendcd gulrity, fear of loss, and other fcatures that a(cnd maErial
self in thc samc way as its material counterpart cm bc. lf self-exlcnding possessions. Do thc rituals of posscssion and

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 480
JOURNAL OF CONSUMER RESEABCH

disposition cmployed with matcrial objecrs apply to vinual find that teens sometimes obsessively back up thcir files for
objects as wcll? Or, if Dcnegri-Knott md l{olcsworth's feil that thcir digital belongings might bc Iost if the dcviccs
(2010a) arc right that such objccrs uc liminal, rc they re stolen or sah. Lchdonvirta (2012) rcports that virtual
mercly bridgcs to fantasies, daydrcams, ,,reaJ', matcrial ots goods ilc now some of thc most valued commodities for
jects, and cnlreprcncurial ambitions? cybercriminals, who attempt to hack into games and stcal
In 2007 thcre was estimarcd to have been $1.5 billion in vinual possessions to rsall. Mauco (2009) evcn reports a
sales ofvirtual goods cither within thc game rcalm, on eBay, suicide by an Everplesr playa who was robbed ofhis digital
or on spccializcd sitcs selling virtual utifacts for rcal money posscsions, Prt of yirtua.l goods attachmcnt is simply due
(Solomon md Wood 2009). Virtual shopping, acquiring vii. to thc ilnount of work involvcd in acquiring them through
tual consumcr goods, and displaying md proteiting ihcsc long hours spcnt in-world, Thc fact that most goods must
acquisitions play a promincnt rolc in a number of onlinc be obtained through virtual labor lcads to a "time uistoc-
consumer games and virtual worlds. In lie Sr.ru, con- racy" rather than a "money aristocracy" ([rhdonvina 2009).
sumption is thc raison d'€tre for playing thc gamc and in- Neverthelxs, bccausc such gmds uc simply computcr codc,
cludcs buying a house and filling it with consuma goods they arc potentially endlessly replicablc. Gmc produccrs
(Bogost 2006i Molmworth 2006). As Frasca (200[ ob- makc them artificially scucc in ordcr to further enhuce
serves, "2"ie Sms is designed in a way that makcs it hard their value (Lchdonvirta 2009). Thus thcrc was great mgst
to have fun unlcss you buy a lot of stuff." ln Gran Turismo, when somc Second Ufe layers used CopyBot to duplicate
playcrs progr*s rhrough the gamc by buying cver morc rare itcms, grnering uniqueness md status without paying
expensivc branded cars (Molesworth and Denegi-Knott thc pricc (Martin 2008).
2N7, 2013), ln Habbo Hotel, tccnagerc buy thcir avatars It is perhaps possible for consumers to singularirc or dc-
frohionable clothing and fumish their gucst rooms with comoditizc virtual possessions just u they cm with rcal
trendy fuminrrc (L:hdonvirta, Wilska, and Johnson 2009). world possessions (Appadurai 1986t Bclk 1988). And just
Secorul Lde and Uhim Online havc generated lucrativc m McCracken (1986) dccribes consumcr rituals that hclp
mukets for "skins" (avattr looks), virtual clothing, fumish- to singularizc matcrial gmds, Dencgri-Knott, Watkins, and
ings, art, elcctronics, cars, md boats (Maflin Z0Og). Secorul Wood (2012) find that consumers ritually transfom digital
Ity' has also experienccd a rcal estate boom, crcating mil- commodities into meaningful possessions. Receiving virtual
lionaire virtual property dcvelopcrs. For, as one of Boell. objects as gifts is an example of a singularizing exchangc
storffs (2008) informants put it, ',Whar good is stuff if you ritual. Wc also invest psychic energy in virtual possessions
don't havc a placc ro pvt it?" (227). Even in gamcs whose with which wc spcnd extendcd amounrs of time. Cuefully
goal is not to accumulatc things md shov them off (c.g., backing up, uchiving, and storing the possessions arc orher
World of Warcraft, EverQuest, Maia) playerc advucc by meaningful curatorial ritual practices. Dcnegri-Knott ct al.
acquiring magical swords, mor, wcapons, and sacred itcms (2012) report a woman who acquired a new house in Tfie
(Denegri-Knott md Molesworth 2010a; Mauco 2009), Sr'ms and then spent considerable effort personalizing thc
Thc motivations for acquiring thcsc objects, often wirh furnishings in ordcr to makc it "hers." Another woman ob-
real money, arc similr to those for acquiring material con- scssively clcaned her Sms home and found it ironic that
sumer goods: gaining sarus and prestige as seen by otl:er her own apartment wil a mess, Others print our and save
playcrs (Warg, Zhao, and Bamossy 2009), solving rcal or screen shots of thcir prized digiral possessions. In each case,
imagined problems (Lehdonvina 2010), expressing idenrrry singulriation is accomplished by chese speciaj possession
(Brymr and Akerman 2009), increming atracriveness to ri ruals.
others, and marking group idenrity (Martin 2008). Therc arc
Needed Ettended Self Updates due to Detrateriuliiation:
also modves, not ro appeu as a ',ncwbic" (Boellstorff 200g)
2, ALtrott, but Not Quite, the Sante (What Virtual Possessiorts
and, especiaily tbr younger players and in games like l/re
.t//tr, to expiore owncrship of luxury goods that rhey ile
Izct). Dcspitc protes(s by Lehdrnvirra (2012) and oth-
ers that virtual possessions are as real as material pos-
unlikely ro be able to afford outside ofthe digiral rcalm. As sessions and rhar the distincrion bcrween rhc physical
a result, players worli hard in order to acquire..the very best
'sruff"' (Denegri-Knorr md Moleswonh 2010a). Brmdcd world and rhc virtual world is collapsing, there are some
key differences that should be noted. These ditllrences
items like virtual Versace, DNKY, J Crew, Nike, and Cucci prompt a rethinking ofBelk's (1988) original fbrmularion
command prcmium prices and are clicked ten times as often of the extendcd self in (he realm of digital possessions
as unbranded goods (Chahal 2010). rather than just saying rhat thc same feelings of attach-
There is evidcncc rhat consumcrs bccomc attached to such ment, singularization,_fetr.of.loss, and so forth apply,
vitual consumcr goods, fcar md moum thcir loss, ed sin- only thc posscssions dre digital, Siddiqui and Turley
guluiz rhcm. ,usr as Bclk (1988) found rha( rheft of pos- (2006) examinedthc-.pqrpciySd Equi.valencc of-c-mail, c-
laSaions inflicrs injtiy r;n iFCiiicnijcd scli Marri; e008) cards, c-books, digital joumrh, phoros, ncwspapcrs, au-
notcs a Second Lite resident who lost her inventory of pos- dio/video filcs, and musical instruments, compared to
scssions duc to a code bug. Evcn whcn the goods wcre their nondigital couDterparts. Thcy found that rherc was
restored, shc wrote thar "my invcntory is back but I'm a uncertainty about the control and owncrship of many of
shadow ofmy formcr sclf" (13). Odom, Sellen, ct al. (2012) these digital goods, leading to making backup copies,

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 BELK
48r

making hard copies, and yct regarding them as less ,.au- ilal possessions forming part of rhe cxtendcd sell but they
thentic.".They arguc thar the lesser physical prcscnce of do not negatc them. Ccrtainly, among digital cnthusisti,
music without discs, dust cov"rs, oi jiwel cises makes whethcr in MMOGs (Mmsivcty Mulriplayei Onlinc Cames),
it less a part of the extendcd self. And thcy lcarned, for virtual worlds, blogs, forums, or social media, digital content
examplc, that it is much c6icr to dclctc an e-card than mems a geat dcaI. Shued digital music and shued musical
to discard. a physical greeting cild. These factors may
explain why othcrs have found that digital music is pei_ lajtd may mark us s part of an imagined community (Bom
201 l). We may also bccomc quitc attached to our own digital
ccived as having lcss cmotional and monctary valuc than contcnt. Digilal music owncrs, for exmple, oftcn reponlhat
its physical countcrparts on CD or vinyl (Fox 2004; thcy arc strongly reluctsnt to deletc songs or albums cven
Mccourt 2005; StyvCn 2010). Lack of ability to disptay if thcy no longcr listen to them (Odom, Zimmerman, and
digital music filcs has bcen citcd as one reason for many Forlizzi 201 l). But it is wcll to think about thc realms within
peoplc prcferring CDs or rccords, at lcasr for music rh;t which.digital possessiom play a rolc in our contemporily
they truly likc (Brown and Scllcn 2006). Digital family cxtendcd self ild wherhcr thcir rolc changes if wc lcive oi
mementos such as maps, cards, photos, and artworks havl tum off our digital dcvice.
also been found to be regarded as lcss valuabtc than phys-
ical memcnros (Pctrelli and Whittakcr 2010). Reembodiment
At a morc gencral level considering multiplc typcs of
digital posscssions, Warkins ud Molcswonh (2012i; scc Not only have ou posscssions Iost the constraints of their
also 2012b) concludc: "Digital vifiual posscssions appeil ro formcrphysical bodics, so have wc. As a famous /Vew farter
lack sorne of thc charactcristic$ that iDvitc attachment to ctrtoon put it, "Oo the Intcrnct, no one knows you'rc r dog"
matcrialposscssions. For cxamplc, thcy arc intangible, held (Petcr Steiner, cartoonist, July 5, 1993). The first wavc;f
only within softwilc puameters, uc apparcntlylasily rc- digilal studies-when rlprcsentations of ourselvcs onlinc
produced, and may not gather thc patina ofwell-loved ma- wcrc primuily tcxtual messagcs on MOOS, MUDS, c-mails,
terial possessions." and bulletin boards-lcd to forecasts that we would bc
We might add to this that digital possssions as well as most cmancipatcd from our bodics and takc on whatever pcrsona
digita.l devices lrck thc soft tacfilc ciarrcteristie of clothing w-c wishcd (c.g., Cmtronova 2007; Hraway l99li T\rklc
and fmiture that makc it posiblc to almost litcrally cmbe; 1997). Discrimination due to gender, race, ciass, and phys-
our essene in such possessions @clk 2006). This essmcc is ical handicaps would fall away, and we would cntir-an
thc characteristic rhar Benjamin (193d1968) callcd ,.aura" md onlinc agc of total cquality. But this changed with whar
that Belk (1988) described as conEmination (conragion)_rhe Bolter (l 996) characteiias'u the ,,breakout of the visual"
soul of the pe'son rubbing off on or imprcgnating the object onlinc, leading to "new constructions and definitions of thc
(Femandez and Latovicka 20ll). Furthcrmore, for virtual self." In a more visual lrternet envircnment of social mcdia,
possessions that trc endlessly rcplicablc, it is difficult to vinual worlds, onlinc gamcs, blogs, web pages, photo- and
regud them u perfectly uniquc, noofungible, md singulu, video-shring sites, Intemct dating sites, and so forth, we
evcn if we have custom-crafted them or cmploycd suitable arc disembodied md rccmbodied il avatilsr photos, and
possession rituals. Such assessments suggest that, wlrile dig- vidcos. With the help ofPhotoshop and purchised ,\kins"
and accessories, we have considerable leeway in our visual
ital posscssions can be objecs of self extension, they may
nor be tr eff'ective as marerial possessions. They may also self presenta(ions onlinc, despirc a fairly lrigh degrce of
similariry to our physical appearance (Bryant and Akerman
operate within a differcnt realm. For examplc, possessions
2009; Meadows 2008,Zhao, Crasmuck, and lr,Iutin 2008).
rn Secontl Life may only be seen as parr of cxtended self
Yee (2007) defines avaran rs "digiral reprcsenrations ofour.
by orher residents of Second Lr/e. Likewise, your Facebook
selves" (iv). As lvleadows(2008) explains,'.WIren you make
profle, rimeline, and friends may only ac( il part of your
an avarr of the same gender, ege, and race, it feels like you
extended self for rhose granred access and only while they
on a psycho-physiologicrl lcvel. You can idenrify wirh iC,
are online.
(90). Hc does go on ro note, however, rhat drere arc,,very
There may also be an age differencc in thc tcndcncy to
fcw morbidly obese, elderly, or handicapped avalus in vir-
regrd digita.l posscssrons as a part of thc exrcnded self. tual worlds."
Cushing (2012) reports rhar older consumcrs (ages 5g-6?)
Reembodiment in u avatar is chracrerized by Biocca
were less likely than youngcr consumers in hcr study to see (1997) as a progressivc process. Together with designing
digital possessions as ptrt of their exrcndcd self. For in- our avatar, giving it a name, learning ro operate it, and
stance, one mm "mcntioncd that he had spcnt mor€ of his bccoming comfortable wilh it, wc gradually not only become
lifetime with physical items rhm digital items, so hc con. rcembodicd bur lncreasingly identity as our avatar (Binark
sidcrs thc physical posscssions to be of morc valuc and to ud Sijrcil 2009; Robinson 2007; Taylor 2002): Bascd on
rcprcsenr his idcnriry more rhan digital possessions,' (160). lYorld of Warcra/r, Tronsad (2008) concludcs rhat ,,if we
Whethcr this is duc ro growing up in a predigital agc or obtain a fciling ol 'being thc chtracter,' it is mosr often
lraving accumulatcd morc mcmories in nondigital posses- through embodicd empathy with an entiry that is partly (an
sions rcmains an opcn question. extcnsion of) ourselves, and partly a sepilatc entity that can
These findings tcmpcr somc of the conclusions about dig- bc identified a a chaactcr in Worltl oJ lVarcrafr" (259).

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 482
JoUBNAL oF coNStJMEB HESEAHGH
Identification with our avatars is onc
glib chtgc that the Intemct is mercly
cvidence against rhe odine (B oellstorfr
r and B
200g Ruvio Ik 201 2). In artle,s
another ,-"oi* li (2004);pp*isar:';,fi;;iili; e B
which thc smc principles of communi""ir"'i
ment apPly' Bmed on his rcs-euch in tt't
,ri'.ri.,i"r,il ,,,=.uy.r.itl"!yo, b;;;; ;;';"",rettoyoube,,(r6l).
find our who you

second ufe, Boeilstorff (2008)

,ittra*o.rJ'or to rt e hean 6fthc ponouiriij oi uirtuur idenritics roThis scrs

a lover, arrend r wcddine witn rrenas, 'uul;ilffi

-ouscruesli;;;.*';..i wo,ia tnwl. wi-.ril;il,.;:;", md virruar
rhe rear

secontl Life' all thinss t;at ar impossibtc

or *r". ri',g.fi ;il;;;;ff,,i;;ions or serr, brogs,worrds in_

tetcvision p.g'r-. 3i-ir-rv, o","ga-Knoii

in-u^noiulr'u ura ro.i.j J.iiu'i;ilr,",ffi;:il. forums,
rrar-rife issucs and rcar-
worth (2010a) cmphasizc ttrit,
il"L:
u;;
wmre-pcopic';;;;;;fi 1119.i,tr'.'iil-,rJ,i ,ji'i,#riiJr"*.,, and srokoc 2006,247).
the action of a film or novcl i'.tn" whirc both arc pan of thc digirsr extended
serf, rhc rcar-
,*L"dp.r.oi 1,r,-"y'iii rifc rcprcscntations uc Iitcty ir-oie eiliry porrabrc
this' that happcncd) , wortd orwarcralti.'ffiry
(we did rhis, I wilt get a,w-ord ;.ilJ*;l
''err!'|qv" nw, u'ri-,r,"y ,r,iii"rfr,i'J""rj.j,d",*uri" .h-g.r.
inro thc
to r.iir trollrj.'' ru.u.rttetls,-w"..rno;;;;. behavior changes when
Moreovcti we arc not iust
body; we havc some ch"oice'in
Place into un oit.rru,. urut. wc d-on a mask or a costumc (e.g., Makarius l9g3). Besides
-
accessorizing rhis reprcsenradon orr"rr
J;;;;'ffitfil;'ffi cnacting rhc ctaractcr we portray, rhe
mask can grant us
isryrrt;;Jiii.- 1l".yrit{.and safcty, er.n ro uiorar" raboos. But,
T3--'?191]
Kamcl. 2!.09), Thc rclativc it;t;;;;;;- :l_T:
sincc we arc insidc a mask or costumc, wc do not see
Surlng our avate bodics has led some to trgg"tt tl,ui;;. sclves md must rcly on fee4back from others. with anour-
avatars reprcscnr our idear setves. av-
lKozincrild
2009; Robinson 2007: Tavlor 2002)';";;ilL-fi;,
i;;;;; atar, howcver, *" ;;;;;;i;;;sidc, anonymous,
and rc_
and whitty 2012)' asoiraional ,.1;;l &;,,"j cipients of,feedback from othcrs; we trc a.rso outsidc and
and Solomon 2010)' or a canvas on which
{M;l;;odl w;# constanrry looking at ouirlr-r.. u, uu.,*. Arrhough
focuscd
vrious altemarivc scrvcs fBios6g l9rr,
wc can 'r.y o-ui; on thc alrcr ego oi thc avatar, this is a much more cffccrivc
D;;;;:K,;1t;: minor and ;;f*;;;;;;# simpry rerying on others,
X""lTl:*h .201.01)..rn
suiport of thcr.'*;,",i;;;;ffiji
*!"T., '.Onlinc the plain rcprescnrcd rhemsctvcs
rccaracr.
lfylil
Slamorousr thc old as young, thc y_oung as oldcr. Those
as

modest mans worc etaborare oi . Needed Enended Self Updatcs duc to Reembodimenr:
lewirrv. in r.
,i;i;;;r:';;;;dress
Arrcchmentt of rhc lcver of im_
"i"rJr;;.;,;;
cripplcd walkcd without crut;hcs, and thc
shy iilil; mcrcion, players g.t quit. to their avatars, cspc-
thcir chances as scduccrs" ns8). ciaur-tlr9i1 'ft",
;;,,rlild;;oio Rr..*- "rr;-.';o
2009: \{ang
.In MMoGs, thanks to the charactcristics of prcsence .t nr. zoosl. And ;'ii.tir'i?ibill sumnuizes, ,,whcthei
or playcrs
telcprcsencc (fecling vou arc there) rrd
i..;;.i,;; i:;;o;; see thcir ch*u.r.i u. pu.l .*,.nsions
ofrhcmsclves,
thc plavcr, who then 't'.""..r; i't .i.'"rri."iii is ihcir chitdren, as t#;;;;,
:l '"I.fv ;r as reifica(ions of rheir
MacCallum-stcwart and Parsler 2008,228),titr-;ffi;i own ideals, uubnpc .#"i"1 acts lsrc] as a powerful
jli ql* qliy the ptayer is ad-;;;,:;';,#i
ls a 1Y:li in a virtual .r* l1,y dli* p."pr. .ia ,,y'ituauy hotd rhem in rhe
Player, world. That's m it. Any scparate virtual world for years at a timc', 16t;.
is sone-rhc pr"y..;r;;.;#;;;. Such reembodim.n,, ir..iiion', md teteprescncc
X:..|,t,:L:l:ntacrer lenge the c.entral ro-le rhar the physical body
chat_
^Y^:t-.:::_,:,"pl"Jing
nor.6slmrn8
a be ing, you are that bcing; you're was se en ro
an identity, yo\arethat idcntity; yiuire play in Belk's (1988) formulation of the extended
nor
-- Thosc who have ap 1v111, may have in-world
self.
ProJecting a sclf, you are thar self" tsa.rrc :6da, Lssl. aurobio-
But rhis is thc most cxrrcme lcvel of ir..rSo". graphical memories attachcd ro this character,
-
(200f) eiujt rri f"Jra]rg
disringuishcs severat levels i*;;;;;,'r;;;;;;- their. interactions and friendships with orher avarars,
thci?
"f a, ,rr. l,"lrli.r.l
ing from. avalu to chilacrer ro persona. missions and experiences, and ln some cases even vinual
where Players stan. it is more like operting sex, mrriage, md drvorce (Boellsrorff 2008). Thus, ir is
puppers. A
character "is an extension of the ptaycr'i ironic that the code that crcares most of rhese characters
;l;.'r';"i. ts actually owned by rhe game company (KeUy
Pcrsonality for thc player whcn Vhe is in-gamc"
<iilf. e"j 2 2004).
yr the qe.rson3 levcl, thc playcr no '--'D-'
long..iotinjrirt.s
-reslrbqrJrrLiuc-
U"l
rween himselfand the avatr. Exteruled Se[ l)ptlures t]ue to Reembotlitnert:
-Needcd
Proleus Effects, Even slight differences b.tw.en
wc may employ anonymous and pscudononvmous 2
ori
ridesonline,as4e%;r;ii;;;;ffiilffi;:',il:ilrffi1; i6e.- ,
Rw bodies and our vinual reitiry 1vR) bodies can havc
and Snuth zorol w.'c.n'"rso .rr"i *irj i."rr* r'i""'ri'"l erfccts on our offline behavion Although rhe James
Cameron

:Hl,fi:ffi:ffiT;i f, .-:t
il ii{$ti;:ilT: i"Li'ffiiJffi1x'fl.H!':l'll"#1',xJi:I.:[,'#lT^I
";;;;fi il.;, ;; H,il,""1"f
ous. But, in thc prcscnt dieital age, i:i,tliifi ft
o* ontinc ptysi"il
:il: tr;lt
,"pr.naing.r.n
i*:*.i[,t?i.,m hfu;i:,",*F*,:
r.uff rr.ri.
invisibiliry md command oirhe vi-rrud ,...UoAi'"rJ* oi.ri.r. *.aring an avaril. A
sclf-creatcd avatars provide an easicr
of ,'jil., increases proplc,s confidence, and this boosr
ronmnt for such sclf cxpcrimenution no.-d,"r;;t'k;;";- illri.u"ru,*
latcr in rhe physicar worrd. Simirarry, a morc ar-
lrl'"r,r. avarar ma-kes pc.plc act warm md social, an older
"*u.ff.,'p.opl.
often comc our in ncw sexual identities artcr
nrst ooin!'so iJutr, ,ri.." p.opt",.."o,i.i.-uuoit saving money, and a

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 BELK

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 484

JOURNAL OF
CONSUMER FESEARCH

Sharing
words

fiIms, of our
frce for
ics is
via Face.

and picces
or sent to cntenain ordcr
with

is the

othere
remains is
posscssions disinhibirion
their

For lhosc
media friends know
rnorc than their

Buechel
Wood 6nd rhar
album
whcreas
arm'S- manncr,

of an in_ that some people

portraiture. through
of sclf_ flicts in new

led to grcater For rhe lnfemet

as well as
wirh

sixrh
This has lcd some
and re-
in self,
and as ncw

2011). addirion
things We eX-
rcceding
and thc evenB

about
cancer

ta.les rhat in_

Tli!conrcDtdohrord:lr]::l,lit$6r_rf*:Lt,.rJ"f

i"?, 2l:40:19 pM
 BELK
485

with our online audiences, just as thc psychoanllytic couch that Foucault (1978) called Exornologesis or "publishing
and the Catholic confessional make it easicr to confcss by oneself" has nevcr becn casier to accomplish.
screening us from the eycs of thc listener. Blogs md social But there is another possiblc explanation for the rise of
media ac the primary digital foraon which such confessions confessional pmctices on thc lntcmct. Despitc thc veit of
mcur, but thcy can also bc found in photo- and video-sharing invisibility, writcn on thc Intcmct writc for m unseen au-
sitcs on whicb our blunders and bad moments arc also pre- diencc (Scrfary 2004). Both (he number and fecdback of
servcd and shiled (Srrangclovc 20ll). readcrs provide self-validation for thc writer and a certain
Why confcss to unseen and anonymous othcn online? In celebrity (O'Regan 2009). Despitc rhe rension berwccn pri-
Foucault's (1978, t998) vicw, confcssing our sccrct truths vacy md potential celebrity, our online confcssions are also
feels freeing, cven as it binds us in a guilt-morivated self- part of thc self-therapeutic aspcct of sharing. Confessional
g_ovemilcc bom of a long history of Christian and prc- blogs may also bc thcrapeutic for the audiencc to read, al-
Christian philosophies and powcr structures. promincnt lowing both sincere empathy md the voyeuristic appcal of
writtcn public confessions, lil<c those of St. Augustinc and witnessing a public confcssion (Kirzmmn 2003),
Jean-Jrcqucs Rousseau, helpcd to reinforcc this impcrativc But the Foucaultian guilt-bascd motivation for online con-
for self-confession in an eulicr cr4 just as othcrs, onlinc fessions has bcen characterizcd as applying primuily to
diries and blogs do today (Napolirano I 996t Rettberg 200g1 Westcm, individual, guilt.based cultures (Abercrombic ct al.
Serfaty 2004). But rhc Internet has made oncc privaie con- 1986). In mors aggrcgBtc Eastcrn shamc-bucd cultures,
fessions fu morc public. In Foucault's (1998) view, con- rather thm an ioternalizcd fccling of guilt, behaviora.l com-
fession, along with contemplation, self-examination, lem- pliancc is more often extcrnally imposed by creating feelings
ing, reading, md writing self-critical letters to friends ec s ofshame. Solovc (2007) illustratcs with the story of a young
pat of thc "tcchnologies of thc sclf,' through which wc seek woman's small dog thal dcfccatcd on a subway in South
to purgc md clcmse ourselves. Korca" Whcn other passcngers ukcd her to clean it up, she
rcfused and told rhem to mind rheir own busincss. But a
In the Wat, we now livc in a society .,wherc we rc all
compellcd to mnfess and to explorc oul interior lives. Our fellow passcnger had photographed rhe incident md put the
picturcs up online along with an account of thc evcnt. Within
cultue is essentially autobiographical', (Abercrcmbic, Hill, md
days, rcadcrs had identified thc girl, md hcr pilcnts and
Tbmer 1986). Wc can alm see thm public confessions in
relativcs startcd receiving inquirics about heri an online
contemporary tclevision talk shows (Camson 1998: Grindstaff
shaming campaign startcd, and it bccame national news itr
2W\ Lwy 1998) md on homc shopping channcls ffiitc South Korca. As a result, thc girl dropped oui of her uni-
1992). McNcill (2003) makc thc similuity expticir: ,,Afrer versity. Smal!-scalc socictics and neighborhmds havc long
several houn of mding ther joumat, I often fecl siclg m if used shming as a social compliance-inducing tcchnique.
l've watchcd too many telJ-all talk shows on daytimc telcvision,, Before the Intemet, it was likely that such shaming would
(24). Hevcrn (2004) rcfers to thcsc practices B a,,reflrctivc quickly fadc from memory, and the offender would grad-
self-colloquy, spealing out loud what otherwise would bc ually be welcomed brck into the community. But thc Intcrnet
intemal md inaccessiblc to others" (327). Hc givcs the fol- doesn't Forget or draw gcogmphic boundaries around sham-
Iowing examplc from onc man's blog: ,,I,ye never scen a ing. Moreovcr, with the ubiquitous surveillancc of amateur
shrink. . . Certain music malcs mc cry. . . . My limited md CCTV rccordings, contbssion is no longer in the hmds
[sexual] experience:3 parrners (wa 2 until rhis monrh). of thc confcssor and may be repcated by orhers who did not
., Idon'trhinkl believein Jesus"(328).Thisconesponds persona)ly witnesses rhc indiscretion.
ro Foucault's contention that sex is the foremost sccret lhat
we should confess (Bamrd 2000). Even nonbiographical Needetl Extentled Se[ Uptlates due to Sharing: l. SelJ'
blogs often havc panly confessional "bio" or ..about mc,' Revelatiort. The sharing of information about self online
pages. One womm's self description includes thesc stare- facilitated by the disinhibirion md confessional eifects
mene; "'l bclieve in God.' 'l also believe in reincrnadon.' means that it is now fa cuicr to present our selves in ways
'l bite my nails.' 'l am the child ofan alcoholic"'(Sorapure that would haye been awkward ar best in predigita.l rimes.
2003, 6). Revelations of rheological beticfs in both examples
It would bc considered rude, crus, or naive to introcluce
ourselvcs to somcone at a social gathering by relling rhem
suggesr that the religious traditions of confession continuc
about our house, the kind of cu we drive, and our srock
to irfluence rhc narure of online admissions m well. Therc
portfolio. But it is quite acccptable to show such things in
is also a sense, at least since Rousseau, lhat confession re- photos we post online, ro list rhem in our various online
quires introspccrion ud supposed discovery of rhc inncr or
profilcs, or to discuss thcm in a blog we wire. Thcrc is not
true sclf (Taylor 2010). Practices m diverse as psychoanal-
only m inwrd tum in slf-conscious)y cmfting our auto-
ysis, Weight Warchcrs, cosmetic surgcry, md scx rcassign- biogmphies (Zhao 2005), rhcre is also an ourward rum in
mentrugcry ue oftcn couchcd in tems of discovcring thc. terms of prcscntiDg:lhlsc sclf displayi'fcir'iJl rhc world to
"rruC sclf." What w* once a rcligious prelude to doing sec. As notcd eadier, this hu lcd some resetrchers to em-
pcnancc, has collapsed into a mcdicalized pr4crice of hcating phxizc actively meneging idihtiries. C6t6-(1996) sccs rhis
by revelation. That is, the confession is itself rhc pcnucc as part of I historical-progc"ssioh from ascribed to achieved
thal is cxpccted to heal. And on thc Intemet thc te_chnique to managcd srcial identity. As onc picce of suggestive evi-

Thii @ntatdownlordcd frm 75.26-213.69o Tu€, 2l rrn 20142li4O:19 pM

All Ne subjBt lo lSI'OR Tffi md ConditioE
 486

JOUHNAL OF CONSUMEH
BESEARCH
ican adults admit online
for information

shared access
mor€ than
ControL Lox of digiral

Evcn digiral deviccs ficc us

from the

creation
not new, but
us with new abilirics: ,,The

Besides individual
bcrspace that wc thc entire

to \Valtcr flineur
cafCs, in thc

asscmblc md

cnhance thc scnse

sumer is alonc and

and Nova]t
tlrere wirh others,
is also Found opcn-source
Eladhari 2N7;
placc is and Williams

bur at hang our,

coffec shops, where a

ro-
sense

access owncrship (Bardhi versation,

rcgulars, a

sct of
Lifc and retail web
owners, on these sitcs have is
access sPaccs,

This contcnr dMr@dff,.:l

fr;f,ffif.*: *tgrll,ir_,4 2r:40:re pM
 EELK

-*.""Hfi#ll#--*,
*t***t+**,i;tffi
:'*::'*1"
* sharcd wir -,,,{*ffi
co-consaucdon orserr *g*qt"n****-"*ru;*r**
Atthoush-rhcrc arcsingrc-praver
-- vidco games and a ner- *".';ru*?l#-l#*li;"ln,rrrn[i
,','fl?/;Jitfu,',rq;:r*Tir;;;f"i,-,;:"J;r*
,{tjq*Tj-*t"".'.lffi:*lX*:l##x','i,,,i#
,,:,f;,f*l;,;f:,#i,;Ul"t*':*;nruf; *Htfigpjiffigflfui#;:fi f
r;g1f*1;l;..i6,rrh,f;*ifl **fl ltiril#

#,*+ff*Nffi##fi*#{#*-:#'**
ilf*[:i*[$ii{,'"J,,*ry;6ipr;:ir,***,'lt**;:l*1tr*t[t,:,'lr:'*ili';']H
ffi T#',[:,,,rffi r::r:;*'miii#m#**;i$;.1;*ii:;;*1,lfi,##f{
il.h--ffi1tiAltm:nH,Tfr iTi +:tf** :iffiff#'"iffi fril

il;.{r;Hf !,*Lplt}*.li#itdil'',''r',rui";*'ii{iitfi'i3lir"r*rir"'lT.',*
,;:r. :T:,;::,*,#f''.'ifr'f,ii;-itt* m-:tir*t[';1,;i','lflH[hl;,*,T i
iN;;;; :i;;:l;*T';J;L'::''#[]dI
il"1 :t*'ic
f#'ll,l..J:filiflhiilillifi'-,,",'":#n+j:
#::#'#1,l"'.'""l^1#];i.ii,,,*:pr*,:i:;]:il,
i#qill,"l.ffi[i-+fi:i*r"*',ll'*t
j}[#*[ffi,ld#-i*i:r',ffi
$UEfi:cf#fififrffi
j:::l::i:ul'**;h';#
::t;tjiW!!ty{{ij*':i;it:;:ff::i{
ji#::?:fr','.ilrll
r*;tilr]::,;:r#'rffi il::
ft}^:ft*{tfl #,rtrffi ffi ,ri{f"t*;flTi1'*'#?iil;1"ffi
:ir:rl,*;*;'#r.;ruirm$l'rru,,*i{t;{{tiiiil#!{,*ffi
Fr;!!#i:J#

rhi! conta, doxJirosldcsf#;l,3rii$,3ilfifi_lxdrl,,lif",

4 2 r :40: r e pM
 488

.URNAL oF ..NSUMER RE.EARCH

back-and-forrh rcxr ard e-m,ir
iitr q*[t*Tlr#;ffiJ[+i;rTJ;lT;i
,* ,i!!1":.,lttjfl[, ..j;.#rr,".,,*,,(c
i,.;;**cir,ilili;,H:-:"#'' hres'
s c.mpu,er and
pilticipanrs .and carcurato*). An
"r,'* ,6e.iiil"i|lli.Jl'jii,""'1';'"?'ly
t$jilTEifl:,fti$*:;t1;'tffi
;;;;;;;;fi'##;""Hi,il,,fj;tr1ffi,:tH.:;",,,J:
[iif 'i:;lrtj'trl+*if,ri.#ffi
_*
fr ,..',TI[{;;

i$l."ili ii?i?;:!iff,;*f:iii:Ul
..,f*:T;fl?,,:tJ1i:#:glg:f :ran aggregarcshacd i'..ig#i;iil'01,1i".";',iX,';Xf#i.l.o,',:X1':fl*-.:T'.':lf
roor,.ur.oiii.*.;il';.,;"r:.-,,TIg':r;ly,:.,,r,xi]l] ,',,,'*."..,:"t;'li:fHil:,il:T:j,H*j:i.*;ffi;:''".",i
ff:f.T."JH;ilillfriirl,TnTl: "r,ee[g;," i;ir;,i;'
outso'icit'g memoi/-r,^ion.rur.n
to rhe cxrrcmc by Mi-

fr$f*{['gtr#+il[['ffi
"",.ii.*i .'u.'"'ffi
appeils thar
prolecr
it is moic orl
rcsurtinsi;;;s?:T:rl
li**"+x***#rr-lrm,+u*
$iJr:,;,["Il!tJ*fff#rli4l*iil,"..::,..,,i
aj;aint* *lr#i#]. u,, ru,v., ffi.r.',,'i,
$i:.'fi3ffit1lili+HtrT""r:t'i:,i,n#fti,ffi1 bccausc in ,.",;;i;;;. ;;''fi'.'"'i:#T."JJ,;LHf::
l*J;:ill;j**fl#rrlrlil?':i';.i'',8.".:
:fltff ..Tf #Jx."ft fim,tU:{i;..'l*,::*;fi*,',*,'.'*:*,:lln,*-*,,t,1'i"1",';;
so'nd,riet u.rw;i s"; maGrial online' \ilithout
c orgr,lrirJ'ir?'n".r'i].il
takin
aDd orhcr represcntution* b"".- I ' increasiig,y o""*,n.",i"g
1;1111;;',;t,riiiffi::::"Ii,,ll,llfl:f***,,j:Ii:: :il:H,"1,ff,::1,,,,:1,,ffiil.
;l*lii:iiry'{,',ll:[,,i4:ril;;:;,ilXXT;'.:?:; S,'.',:,1ff*ln.:,.::L:1,:,,,,,:#"{#1ft.1,;.m,t"t
,,TTill;,"#:*fJf: r,l can pcrceived :T,9.' ,{" *.'r.^i.,u.ii,J'i,fi[1ffi'"il:;ffi3ir,ili]
worrd' rhat is, rhc onrinc
arso bc
communiries i, *r,G'*.'ol"
i;..13$:iirHi',,ffi[::r,#:,.',1"#ri:l*rflf
,t,',:l:ilyf**-.S",tS;:':'f,'.f.."flJf'ff"[ff
rePresent us do not'
is arso a disputed phirosophicar
;1T,.,:**, qucsrion roxo,
we can use ;;;r,'il;r.:ltJsed.to
;T''i,','"'fu; media to
'ri'u"o"iut'
he emphasized other peoolc
ffi:",:sociar
ted aggregatc cxtended self, d}ltTiJjJ.:[11]-Ti::f"Ti'#if.fl.iTflr.ilx];
shclabeksefisocrl,udrtir.;t'e.l,rtobiogrrphicalknowl-

;j;{{f*:;;ii,,n"ltr#:*]l'lrlx',T-l:l:t :i1rfri(liJ::ilr:Tflt'.;'j;m:,',m1frffi
sb, ue ,;;;nJ';;',l;;;1:ili
ues io,.
$i:]::l[[1Ti'::l,ll,:ffi:ll3;+i:rffid;
Distribured Memorv
".ji;[-*.^a.n, +::il:ri:iJ,.55il: iiili:ilill,i';:,1"1,#;L[ix"*
Nondigira) objecrs rhal form put of rhe cxtended self ::I:,i_,.ti*.
fosters empatiry wirh orhers,
-a ..r.. ."?,]
re orr.n-rur.-tJ p-rcr;;;::;,' lSrsalions-seern
,o* *,i,iri-i'berievabrc. Thc directivt
::,i:{,irij*:"tl#l','l"x l.;[lnffirT;fr1ix#i
!ffir;r.-il:;tfltrrTi[{'l,i::'i6:,4ilil.
i,,';r{hani:r[?.-.lTlti
and archiving ou.
:::l:.::l9lre
ogrcs
*i,"t,fi :,:"",::i,:::t'f
allow access tO an cxoudc
,r..o.i.r]Ti;';;;:;: ;
,ffi l,f_,ffii}ff ffi
rLu-,,ruH'#f'3##%{,ifltf'nilire*i''",1,.l ld*[#,,jr#fl #
11,,,,n.,.,"t-;i;';;,;:i'"",lnr
:^*:fijr,"-,h:flF#H1'.T-ir"#rI',T,*rT#,
mcmory devices in rhc workpracc
i,"r,oi=a #i""..1,o,_
rir.. a wtr a worrd
#,r;#Jh,ff:,i:lliil,iiffllii1y;;x*:n*ln_

Thi! cmtqt dMro'd'd,fx,3'j3ffiilrx_Lt'e6fl,

4 2 r,40:re pM
 BELK.

489

a very rcal
accessed our survivors.

to recrcatc thc emodon of appcar to be

the original It is rhc strategy of keeping
raphy in puticulr

dancc of
sb ared
others who

media, phofo- and which

blogs, and homc versus

out, not on thc

increasing adoption of
such an

our rcliance on prosrhetics,

Odom et thjs
crcatc or mobilc
services such
ue srill GPS devices
as way, or books to remcrnbcr
thoughr. whal othcrs have

which
Banks, et aI.

othen as
so that
Crroll
who sclf. Tlrcse lirrlc stodes about
is reveal

or more nilative,
when needcd, wc may be
sell
sems to $c situation, whcther it is
travel stories,

l. Digital Clutter.
tracesj reccnf introduction of Facebook's

a morc random

supufnc flour, to

rhit contar dMrooc.*,f"r;';lf3ilfit

4 2t :40:ts pM
*d,ffi&,
 490

J.URNAL oF ..NSUMER
dispray oprions.wi, cmergc HESEAH.H
in the furure ro faciritatc nar
ra0vc construction from a.lbum. This can havc
such marcrial. unmricipatcd consequences,
as with
Needed Exencled Sclf r

m*r'i:*g''ffiiilffi'rffi**fuffffi
-#rfi*tlmffi,ffi;*+mt*ffiffi
eithcr suffers or bencfirs fn
,rg. *a.o*r"iu 'Jala"ii urrct ou orninc #l-av,;#'Jl?'jt;l?:il ilt",HI'Ir|#
othcm (Davies 20071. n, *lT
i: rt"s: "",;i';;;;i#l"i,if;[[t;[il]['**"3; privtc ;:f,::"..F,!,i!ifiJ:''*"ff,i:i:*,il:]i:;:':*:X
to a morc pubric p'i."nt,tion.or
ffil['J".'j,ilffi:TjTiJ*:1i;'*"iE*,'i"a"'.p.i]J,l] r"jr.']ii' i."lll'"

T,*ur'ilf:ffi ,,#
A',i;tiilt.*',:'ffi $*gi,1;f;gq#i[*'t;i,S!ffi
-r.ffi r'* *.tirr+lrr*iffi
r',,,,,,,'ff
This may changc, Lawsrr es
'tt',#liiiIi,:.il,ffi ilii{,J:i.H##
,r, ggr".i,iou ; ;-,'ff t :':l i: j :,
ux', an d somc ram i I

.?;ftffr$,i;,.,1tr{,1,1;frir.ffi [$
l:,{,,,.;t***+ttg'ri,..i*ffi
pan oi rhc way in which
;:r,j#,iii&t{{Fi::i,x:iff
,rr* *. digital
:,:il:":;r
rraces means
-_R
aggregare
onrine communirics
sense of self is bv sl foster "lr'"ppiJ"J:i1il'Jr',fltlt's
tn-':'i ;: ;;v'';;Ll'"';:"illf
veloping corective ..ro;..hlTs auittl
toundihem.""r"i
r#iTl :i'Itl -"J :|i HI,:'j
coherentselfnan'ativeinresponsr.,lr..i,rrii"r.ir'*iii
NguyenardBelk(2007)found F;;;r,..
us_iorai*, ,r,o'ffi;;'.ljY:",1#tf:r{t#f il*iti'#':::,:,"{',J.Tl1l*T:i::;;:"1,]i"jTi:jji
'onhicrins "iu" so'n' ;";;;;;;-
not ersirv prcsent
;11:ii'.i:'r'rf"'ffiff.T,*? lT'-"-c:itfo;ffi';i;"'X'
in dominer posrrons, *i,r, ;.j*ft"-,
*.,.or,.n,#*n
r,,riv l*;;,;j:XV:H'.::X#.:ffi,,,i
f lr: ig p.ii,,*r,
'."il,;
li(i+j irr:::iJJ:1ii'il;i';,i:l;,,",::lli[
l;;; [:iliilSl
submissive *ir,'i.dnYremamese.^w€rcshownin |;j11;ly '",+.0.
,,iri"tili,.r-.'.""r'rlr#:i'#i}:t":-l.interacrive,-openry
o,gr...,,ai.*n-r-i*.Jil;::ffflf,T,:il1[ili;.il*i
.*.:*tpi;i!!:;T,'lfl'x:l,J,T,Tlxt'il1ilj:,.1..7
:11,:li:'#i'#lffiir^[imj;
media depicrions Landsbers 12004).md
:;,r;i'iT.#flr r:'[{li:[ly;1ru+:I*ri?;i:t::ii#:t..:.,l
sclf ioncepis i"J"rr'rro
van Dijck
maxc a similar point and nol
cultural-in
ir,ri.lril"i,.,'-a:'{I
mt'oty is ul,o 1"Y') ;:if,"'*f
12007j others, activiries
creating rhem. in
rhis casc disrincrrv 1::li-tl*
il.Hfl3...:*flS$rii*}[:4;ru:;.
ffig*fi;:,.l; ;,ii:'"i:tiiiil::i,:.'#'"',ti'"$ff:,.;::H:"Ji:xff
Possessions' has also chansed t*L1911.o1qi
4 round .o bc'almost'
vrcrnaryr-in shaping .r,rr"a
*..11: .' i]"pli;[;r";,
but-nomuire,r*iin6i;ffij;;;
urhcr.Adistinctdiffer.r."lro.,ffigltonn^,iig:.i-f.#
wide'a'dcncccomplrc;;ffi:Ts::Efrjiif#',#tr
.Hilt,#::,';ij:+il,,;J.,.f#:friili{#eTji:j;ffi

rli! conrcDr d"*rosd:fffll,3r,t+8r"rf..,fr_],T,.?jfiffi

4 2 r :40: re pM
 BELK

AIhoug-h. rhe potentia.l perman 49t

a s ort
or. immorr a,,,r,
d ffi i",ii.i;I
j*:.;
rliri:j
#$$d*iffiftffi fli''j"',,,jffi *fl**fritili.d,'.-*,*l
main in our
l-uj3 3ts,
r.a{:er,ril
€mbarassing)
-rr.iii""
;l.i
u*.,lri'Ind
r,ij iri', ll l'rj'*,
may re-

:;:j,*r j: I S
AREAS FOR FUTTIRE as_comprising our cxtended self
RESEARCH
immateriariry of disirat colrectabrc
,*il TTT,ll.l^,1._
Jula rrdy arso tempt the colleor, ob-
Lcquirini bc less selecrive in
"bffi;ffiffi;:[':P-'t
;;;'":':i:'j.::" on.sortins on the way
oui to piouia'. ir,J

:::;"'liT *:^t'T;:#ffi [:':U:.Hj;fItr l ;J:';

mHg#rmrffi i'i,ir ll"".fil,lTg:,::rl::1",:
i;d;iir.'f ;
or ..t"tine-
p,.uio,.ry

""Jl':lT'P
::,,r",.r,"*:li:l#i.ln:,"il:"":#',1;*:
"crrnea colection. But
much remei,
ii:'#:,,,X.l',,i:i
io,Jiirl.
"otts an ascendant
mode

[l j*,,
oigita"on..ti",.'#ffi H:fi f,T j*:1,"',.,,,ff
Collecting
Gift-Giving
If it is rhe
cards be

facilitated
terial objects nonma-

Fralk 2008),
them.
material cost.

many
vinyl arc scen as
manent.
is rhe
good al

comment raises the re_

Harper

collection as a
extended
such (2006a,

Second
newbie
tbem morc fashionablc clothing.

rhis contcn, dMrosdcl#g,l:r3$ailr3x

2r:40: re pM
*t,##Hl,4
 J.,BNAL oF cot',suME,
RE.EAFT.H
**rr*rr**rr**ffirl::u:,.:r^.:tokoc 2006). open_
;ie;:.,.:i:lxas"U;t".]i'l#}l1j;::l:Jft#iiffI
[tl;i:'],il',:,fr,#"iil#:itl.,r,',u::.:y,,nriri

#ktnil-i'frx+i*'i'd.;im
srudyinfaffii; ;;,::1:1-ry;
svcn in 2008), ,u:ii*'*,f#ilfl':.l:**,,1iil:ffi'li'lf]
Millin
"ii",i*,"1 :::l::,:,::i:".
ri-i 9.1,
ailows us ro cau up a

6;al;fu l{iii:r:"i:*,q;i;jt:l,f-r,irfl ,t-,+r:",1r,".mft#[[T"l;l*,"m

tcmet was ushering in an

gg,*##N**'ffi *+*fiff:*r'ffi*ffis**
Remateriarizatio, :ll riii:i,"*''F#ffi[[+:iX'*'.","",,l:il#^Tii:ii:i
Can digital self definition
'}i,J-}]ffi
::.rj*j:"*:*i,rnr,r,ffi {r,HrJ{::rj{*tffiTf**T,**i",1#fr diilfr
or givc digital objects as giit:

;:r,**;,:,x;**ir-i-*n*=ii,f
our desircs for rangibtc;il;J::'^#:-'-":lll'*1,':h ffi #$,#l{ll,$J-,jtl,ffiliiid1r#it
,{,JE#,. #;,lfl,,*T; n,:ill,:.J;;l "*o"na.-i;",i"',;i::::.:i-ot (c
dcsircs for
i:i,"l*.*[*:HJH'JT#;i.**r,.ni,".on,ii..ii'"
srearry
matcrial objccts is

virtuar cuncncics,
ii.ier,r :":: :ff: 3d s',
"u.i il:#fiI,
Patcr 200e), the
"*f,u,ffi
^;;;;'#;##:'i,:'",:Y:-:'!:1
1$:ll$'J:l;ljilH *.,*r i,. .o,.ii#,io n
m;*::,"..,,*,#',1"J'1ff'T *r;,,l:r I: il,
virtuar B rand Communities
;.;[:i:o!i,iiiu::i:i,'iff';i,:11J: jilf, :1[T iltxfl
ll,:,Ti.??:.%?Hjl,'ll,:.:::":t.ltg.opi.,ii.i**itfl*N*tiflr*W
111.,._,T:r,. :,00.,;;; ;;,r'i"i ilftTlX il:.ii#il1
+ii:'"'#:"1l ff;'i},i;fiL':":
pastimc You ,..;;; i;;
:."1:::,i:" u.ri,.. y,, .p#'Ij:!flt::1i*ilt:?,Ifljj ,cognphica,y
-iii rationar ,ri".^. iiun ln. il*,,r, neishborhood. and
:#':il[:"J.'ffJ'Jff#;#::: .,4 pr,vs*iii". .'.
lcvers oraggregare ,.ii.,";,r,,.a
Byt;i;il;;i;
every ycu,,lsurintrlp ;:r*::Tr":i,il.,h,ff,J#Tn,1t
",Ji#,lt!?',orioo;.;;.**",.1 l;:**y:!!:; Tif;
;:{:ft:'*li'?:.]r}i,T'tl!iit'$:x:'i':#fi[l
an extcrnal had drivc, USB #,:""1y...&:!'i&'tr:r;:*si'rt],,:#,;[:lj
,ra h*apm*.. irIIiJl
secs a cyclc Jcading from
kcys,
dieitai t"it ,llf:rr-,, u.ine a.n;a uy Jornt rcvercnce ror
litt ti'N"tlrcx
ihe-t,
an
and ncccssiraring a turntablclwc nr* i" ,iryi ,.l"iiJ lltlTsi'g "olt'"tUv i-''#i"l,"ir"tlT'Jfff;THfiX::
oiltn trtnnttr
amptrficrs, Mp3-compatibtec-.liShr"aotott i,:'r;;;: fl.t

liy,rffi :rHJli::,:,..fl,iti:#,Tru#ffi H:;":[";#;iqd:].'.:"?ilrffi

,,-#:fi;,L**ff1fl#l,TX'lfll
ji, -r*t*m
111'e1i,t. g,r tr,.i.
i::::,ti*,, ",. ""ri,. g;. .'"iimuniry rhar crosed were
;ffiffi1i:l:t'Jliilii,1j;3'tl,r1j,""a'i""j'.1"frvilji iiild'9lirr'e " '^ii '"
o'i"
'i,*,r **ia,-i" -
+glnptro-ieti6a'clh',lac;ihrhadb!.or.".r,rJi"iiii
ar o;rp.!"i,-"ra'
qo nor rncrcasc ,u,.riu,
p-pil6;:;;;:
.onrr.ll.wastc
numbcr or digirar ,;il;;.1'i::p:r- "flfi}:lfiiT,;','i,I::il:i,il1,*14*;*ffi,;";
."-T[Til#;?#::.;1T,..J,,.:,1?,f:f.'.lliT,i,,# .rr._#q{kflItfit};5il*,r1.ffi
i6.ilf

rhis coDtmt dMroadcdff:l;r;i3r^rfiJ,l

4 2 r :40: r e pM
il,jd;l"il,4,
 EELK

493
and Gilly Think
virtual
from POSeurs

1995), but rhis too

can

their sense of sclf.

have been well which
2009), a focus on sense
Extended

sclf, which focused (2000)

Digital Reladonships aggregatc to extend

also
ln-
comlnu-
In onlinc games, virtual
worlds, and photo-

connccted than

vidco

sustain ar
others.
Iost our make us selfish,
and vicious
Linkcd-In friends when they
in thc hundreds or
"networked
to feel
CONCLUSION
this is
have been able to explore
here.
munication, and
their romantic
ro be
nections can con- tllere are tow a number of

coming, prom, md neighbors

My.\pace, and

in the
20t 0, Besides communi-

as well
Wirh

Wc can
nomeDa il
of the self.

need to leavc our

rhir content d*road:l,,i,ll;r;$l,ii

pM
Fl,f *,.11#g*, 4 2 r :40, i e
 494

JOUFNAL OF CONSUMER
BESEARCH

*r',,",r::"$hiillfu:'};.il,f,.ljilr:liiiin?ffi ,:r

5j;i::1,iff il$,,,il-,tf till{.:t;:l.:,",,fr",.ff :

#rfi;fi,t6*H1ffirjffi
;#;5.ryp,[11efr,.T{'+:,,};"*i'i,i,,
j"'l'.[,T;",".:lH*:*mr.r.*:r_"".rd:i::*
;.'
jffi '"*"1"#j,i."":#X{*rtyri.flfl#1;}lT;;1
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'..ri""t
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[hc
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;;iffi,;l,;.;.if;
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gi
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he;:. ;;j..
pasr:^Sircnr
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:;;:r,9,*!r;;i;;:::[';;:,fl1rr::f ",?:t,-';:i:;:,
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-.
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-*;r*'H'##*i*ffi+,ffi
t'"^);I',fri'rTii
;h,i;f,1.. Y*# us srupid?"
:*g*$*,l*ffi
,{,ia,,r s"'i"ry n ii"'ii, )r';,",i,iiii,i3ili,i,$. !:,"?":,f,'{:
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orcttcal perspcctivc on
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ii.',,-,#HT::];:
-t;;ir;;,
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"-{"i:;ffif:fi.J;ii1:.Ti,,,Tiiffi .rpcrs.na
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huZr
ll: ,,i;:i:fl ;
,, rl.i*r i#{* #igs:
"'y*!i;:ii,i#iil#li,;:#ffi ",i:lffi
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inn,1o,*ri,-i"liu;i;;;':,,;#"2,i*;i:::r;:H1,.",r#
jl#fi"T,: j,:J*,fl
fi1ffi [:*,ri*;U"T ;:X":il Xn::,and
'"'"f,T1'':;i1p"il.1fi
Joh-n wrcken, c";;;.?i'.,''c,Lliil'il

t,',:,Xf *?';:,,*'tl*;liii.ffi *,;l': ,.fi

:.l;ii:,,;".1T.*}fi:,,ITfl lit
"^;,if:,1fli#;tii,f,,ffi
r,ffi Jil# "","ili:lT?ff
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ill,,'ff Ifl ;ll;;, ?;, 3:!:: il^i::,:i;

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j):#,,,#:;":::.

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ijj:i.i,:r:rif
and rhe Consumption

,iHtHm:*:,";*+i,irliuiu:
ofDan-
ryg*ffi
'"''.:y-?.*:.,{: cooo, -n.t Brurds in lmaSinuy Wortds:
vesrr gaLing. ptaye6,
Experiencq or s"ro p;;;ri
yffi.' r",",,, oJ. Couunur U*;;,1.,;;iil:$: ir,.Di
rn_

"ii]i
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"Desire lor

r r (r), I 6-36.

' havior, ed. Cotsuner Be-

. lfi-26.
Makdus, Laun (l Moris,
in The Power

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v dua, Kcnton, and Bffiy Brown

grpr:gr:,#;:tr.:itr:;i,r',W,Y*i
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keting,

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Produ.t Expe-
O'Regan. Michael (2009),,.New .

.;: m r,+[iit, ;l#,Jf,i:jf r-# j[#*:

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Schwartz, Richard
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Shepherd, IIan D, H. (2005). ,.Fm- n^,.r- 4gg

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JOURNAL OF CONSUMEF
and Linda scor. vol. RESEAHCH
14, Bingrcy; Ernerard

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