Digital Possessions, Extrinsic Aspirations, and The Role of Gender

Abstract

This paper examines the effects of extrinsic aspirations (i.e. materialistic) and gender on value ascribed to digital possessions. Another aim of this paper is to examine the mediating role of self-extension tendency in these relationships. It is found that females have higher levels of emotion associated with their favorite digital possessions compared to males. The findings show that the effect of extrinsic aspirations on value ascribed to digital possessions is dependent on gender. It is found that females having higher scores in extrinsic aspirations had higher willingness to pay for the digital good compared to those having lower scores in extrinsic aspirations. Self-extension tendency mediated the value ascribed to the good. These effects are not valid for males. Under high levels of extrinsic aspirations, female consumers value the digital good more than male consumers. Under low levels of extrinsic aspirations, male consumers value the digital good more than female consumers.