Technology-driven transformations in consumer realities: a multi-perspective analysis

RWTH Publications (RWTH Aachen)

Abstract

Technological advancements have the potential to transform consumer realities, reshape established social structures, and confront consumers with the need to alter their everyday behavior and mindset. Technology-driven innovations, for instance, in food production or mobility choices, have the potential to spark controversial public views and opinions, as they fundamentally challenge common societal perceptions and thus cut to the heart of consumers’ understanding of the world and their role therein. As such, novel technology-driven developments in contemporary times disrupt once-legitimized habits and norms on the one hand. On the other hand, they also offer enhanced sustainability, ecological efficiency, and improved human well-being, which creates friction in consumer realities. As a result, consumer research has sought to explore this emerging friction and investigates how social debates shape market dynamics, why consumers may resist technological advancements, and what factors might drive the legitimization or acceptance of technologies. This dissertation builds on these contemporary research questions by analyzing how specific technological innovations influence consumer experiences and behaviors and thus restructure their realities. Specifically, it examines two aspects of consumer realities where technology-driven transformations are particularly prominent – their individual human nutrition and mobility choices. Both aspects are currently challenged by growing technological advances in the food sector on the one hand and the increasing prevalence of novel engine types, like hydrogen in the mobility sector, on the other. Moreover, as the goal is to strive for a multi-perspective investigation of transformation processes, the dissertation additionally focuses on the reasons for unaffected aspects of consumer realities. The individually perceived value of personal possessions, for instance, is such an aspect that experiences little pressure for restructuring and thus represents one example of reality that seems unaffected by technology-driven transformations. In sum, by integrating psychological, sociological, and behavioral perspectives on contemporary transformation processes, this dissertation seeks to provide a deeper understanding of consumer realities in times of rapid technological progress. The insights from this investigation provide essential orientations for businesses, policymakers, and scholars in order to navigate the evolving landscapes of consumer realities in the 21st century. The dissertational papers each focus on one consumer research perspective and thus apply different methodological approaches to answer their specific research questions. The first research paper applies a multi-method approach, combining qualitative and quantitative text analysis. Its dataset is characterized by high diversity, as it comprises public newspaper articles, TV and radio show scripts, parliamentary protocols, social media posts, and expert interviews. The second paper also employs a multi-method approach, combining empirical survey data with experimental data. These datasets were collected either in actual public transportation facilities or in student classes at RWTH Aachen University. The third research paper relies on quantitative experimental studies, utilizing data gathered from live experiments or online experimental settings via Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk). Research Paper I examines the role of consumers in the social process of legitimizing novel markets, focusing on the novel food market in Germany. Using the sociological theory of expectations and imagined futures, it explores how consumers’ mindsets and behaviors are shaped through public negotiations and how their resulting roles influence market dynamics. Through a 34-year historical analysis of media, political, and corporate data, the study identifies three contrasting consumer subjectifications – the vulnerable-consumer subject, the scientific-consumer subject, and the future-consumer subject – that shift over time. As they change, the legitimization process of the novel food sector also evolves, revealing that market legitimization is a dynamic and time-dependent process. The paper contributes to consumer research by integrating theories of market legitimization and subject formation, highlighting how public discourse creates shared visions of a future in which consumers are continuously shaped by societal expectations and thus represent key actors in creating novel markets. Research Paper II investigates the acceptance of hydrogen-powered transportation within local communities, focusing on the role of emotions in shaping evaluations of this emerging technology. As hydrogen-powered public transport gains traction due to engineering advancements and environmental regulations, municipalities and policymakers face challenges in ensuring citizen engagement for these transformations. The study explores individual psychological processes and identifies pride and a sense of belonging as key emotional factors influencing technology acceptance. A collective sense of pride in contributing to sustainability fosters support for hydrogen initiatives and encourages prosocial behavior that benefits the community. As such, this research paper provides policymakers with essential insights into the psychological mechanisms behind participatory initiatives and how they facilitate public transformations toward sustainable mobility choices. In contrast to the above-mentioned dissertational projects, Research Paper III explores one aspect of consumers’ reality that remains stable despite technological advancements and focuses on the value consumers attribute to physical objects during times of transition and uncertainty. Drawing on embodied cognition and attachment theory, it argues that material possessions reduce the psychological distance to self-relevant meanings. The findings suggest that consumers integrate possessions into their extended self not only as an expansion but also as a means of drawing meaningful entities closer to them. This perspective refines the concept of the extended self, highlighting that material objects serve as emotional anchors. The study contributes to the debate on experiences versus possessions, suggesting they function as complements rather than substitutes. While direct experiences shape a fulfilling life, material objects help maintain a sense of connection when direct engagement is not possible. The research extends embodied cognition and attachment theory, emphasizing proximity as a key driver of consumer behavior.

Authors 1

1. Verena Riegler corresponding Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   RWTH Aachen