Crafting the virtual self: A netnographic study of artisan chocolate consumption practices on Instagram

Abstract: This thesis addresses the lack of consideration of Instagram as an online brand community. The aim is to explore consumption activities and motives regarding the artisan food brand on Instagram. It also seeks to investigate the idea of craft products and its influence on consumers' consumption choices and activities, including the concept of craft consumption. A netnographic approach is the main method used with the complement of visual ethnography and online interview. The empirical data was collected through the use of the hashtag (#mastbrothers) with the chocolate brand, Mast Brothers as a focal object of study. The coding analysis technique and a hermeneutic approach were employed to interpret the qualitative data. The central narratives of the content were used to generate four themes of activity: a food enthusiast, an aesthetic seeker, a lifestyle narrator, and a moment collector. The results provide the insight of the way users integrate the brand into their digital spaces, the motives of doing so, the active co-productions of meanings, and also how brand images and narratives can influence users' consumption choices. The motivations are mainly within the idea of social belonging, individual and collective identities, and self-expression. The theoretical contributions include developing an understanding of Instagram as an online brand community, consumer culture in relation to food brand, brand image, digital identity, and social brand engagement.