Creating Cultural Analogues in Virtual Communities Through Branding

Abstract

This chapter shows how cultures construct analogues of actual environments, societies, communities, and the individuals who compose them. Analogues replace actual in human perception. Analogues engender further cultural development and renewal that produce higher order analogues in which the original actual may submerge into oblivion. Brands have evolved from representations of property to representations of consumers, but always expressing cultural value. As components of cultural discourse, brands have become an important mode of consumer communication, identifying and distinguishing consumers as social objects within consumer market culture. Virtual communities have evolved from telephonic verbal communication to highly interactive electronic media. Throughout this evolution, virtual communities have been analogues of actual communities to the extent that technology permits. Greater technological detail brings greater detail in the production of analogues. eBranding offers identity components in virtual consumer culture environments for transfer to actual consumer culture environments, resulting in brand viability and marketing success.