UC Irvine

Consumers experience exclusion in everyday life, from not receiving the special presale invitation to realizing they do not align with a brand’s quintessential consumer profile. Social exclusion has been magnified in the digital age given the prevalence of cyber-ostracism on social media platforms. While existing research focuses on the negative consequences of social exclusion, this dissertation examines factors that influence consumers acts of kindness upon experiencing social exclusion. Drawing on uncertainty-identity theory, I examine the moderating role of peripheral membership when feeling socially excluded. I propose that excluded peripheral consumers exhibit a heightened need to belong when feeling excluded and display a higher likelihood to help others. A series of lab and field experimental studies (N = 1971) empirically tested the hypotheses in different contexts. A pattern emerged: peripheral consumers exhibited a higher willingness to help others when feeling excluded.

This dissertation integrates uncertainty-identity theory into the marketing literature and establishes the moderating role of peripheral membership in understanding consumer behavior. This dissertation fills a critical gap in the literature by looking into belongingness as the underlying mechanism of peripheral consumers' responses to social exclusion. This dissertation further contributes to the broader conversation around coping mechanisms in the face of social exclusion by understanding how kindness manifests in this context. This dissertation offers practical implications for marketers aiming to build strong connections and foster belongingness among peripheral and prototypical consumers of their brand.