Online Social Communities Through the Lens of Polyvore

Traditionally, people used the Internet for simple interaction within the communication sphere.With the introduction of social media platforms the online world has become more interesting as consumers are using them to create, share, and discuss over the Internet. The growing popularity of the social online communities is bridging the gap between consumers and brands by providing them with a platform to communicate with each other. This study visually analyzes Polyvore, a social shopping online community. It sheds light upon how members use Polyvore in different ways, the hedonic motivations associated with shopping online, and the way in which an online community with a growing aspect of offline meetups is used by its members to make social connections