Consumption and display of brands on Instagram as a conduit to promote group membership in a context of social distancing

Consumption and brands, used as vehicles to achieve group membership, is a new and little-studied area. Arias & Otnes (2006, 2017) propose a theoretical framework to explain consumer behaviors aimed at meeting the needs of belonging. A construct of this theory is the Channels of Belonging, it is about the resources available in the market (such as products, services, brands) that people use as a means to relate and achieve their affiliation with groups. There is very limited information on the way in which Conduits of Belonging are used on social media among young people. The study aims to identify the types of information dependent on products or brands that are used as Channels of Belonging on Instagram, and analyze which are the most valued functionalities or characteristics of Instagram when it is intended to consume to favor membership in a group . This analysis also seeks to analyze whether consumers find on Instagram a channel where they can display products and / or brands to favor group membership in a context of social mobility limited by the Covid-19 pandemic, in the same way as in a different circumstance.