Navigating institutional complexity through emotion work: The case of Italian consumers adapting to a ketogenic diet

Abstract

Building on marketing studies that adopt an institutional perspective, I examine the dynamics through which consumers navigate institutional complexity. More specifically, I investigate the unique context of Italians abandoning their traditional diet to embrace a ketogenic diet by means of a seven-year netnography of Ketogenesis (an Italian Facebook group dedicated to ketogenic diet), ten interviews with members and managers of this community, and a media analysis of the Italian dietary market. The findings show that these individuals are exposed to various oppositional logics (healthism, weight loss, sociability, and flavor), which trigger negative emotional responses. I thereafter demonstrate that, by participating in ad hoc Facebook groups (i.e., joining Ketogenesis), these consumers perform emotion work based on two key processes (reframing and social support), through which they reframe their negative emotions in more positive terms, support one another, and facilitate the diet’s approval within the community. I also discuss theoretical and managerial implications.