Boycotting in the age of social media: the case of #NoJapan movement in South Korea

Abstract: The advent of the digital era has brought transformation to various practices including consumer boycotts. Social media has enhanced consumer power and most boycott actions have an online presence so that their influence is no longer limited to specific geographical areas. Instead, there is a far-reaching global impact through online platform technologies. This study aims to fill in the gap in existing research on consumer boycotts by addressing the impact of social media on this practice. Using the case of the #NoJapan movement in SouthKorea, the thesis discusses the transformatory trends and changing motivations of consumer boycotts in the times of social media. The theoretical frameworks used in the analysis process include Self-Determination Theory and The Honeycomb of Social Media Framework which help explain diverse motivation factors, types of motivation, and social media functionalities. This research uses a mixed-methods approach to conducting in-depth interviews of #NoJapanparticipants and analyzing posts related to this particular boycott campaign. The main focus of this process is to investigate social media utilization and boycott motivation shown in the#NoJapan case. The findings of the study show the diversity of practices prevalent in social media use by people engaging with #NoJapan boycotts in the online environment. Moreover, the finding problematizes the social media space as one which has both positive and negative effects on an individual’s boycott motivation. This thesis has made significant contributions to the field of SDT and boycott studies by expanding their perspective on online interaction.