Welcome to esports, you suck: understanding new consumer socialisation within a toxic consumption collective

Abstract

ABSTRACT Consumption collectives manage conflict in various ways and socialise new consumers to ensure they participate in an appropriate manner. However, less is known about the new consumer experience within a conflict-ridden collective – particularly conflict arising from chronic and intensified anti-social practices. This study adopts a practice theory approach that combines interviews and netnography within the context of esports. Findings show a network of four practices that shape new consumer socialisation within a toxic consumption collective: learning, smurfing, scaffolding, and indoctrinating. While the practices of learning and scaffolding align new consumers into the required competencies of the collective, new consumers become embedded into a culture of negativity through the practices of smurfing and indoctrinating, through which toxicity becomes routinised. Overall, this network of practices shapes new consumer socialisation within online consumption collectives in both constructive and destructive ways.