Self-Categorization, Community Affective Commitment, and Community Self-Esteem in Virtual Brand Communities: A Comparison Between Posters and lurkers

Drawing on social identity theory, this study develops a conceptual model of building brand commitment in virtual brand communities (VBCs). This research distinguishes between cognitive, affective, and evaluative components of social identity in VBCs and proposes how these components instigate members’ brand commitment and their subsequent behaviour. The authors elaborate on the nature of social identity in VBCs and articulate a member-level conceptual framework that offers propositions regarding the key determinants and consequences of members’ (both lurkers and posters) commitment towards the brand around which the community is developed.