Group Power: Discourses of Consumer Power and Surveillance in Group Buying Websites

Abstract

This paper explores the tension between consumer power and surveillance through an analysis of group buying websites. These websites celebrate the power of the consumer generated through bulk purchases. Underlying the rhetoric about the autonomous consumer, however, is the systematic practice of buying, selling and reflecting consumer information. Through an examination of available promotional materials, websites and privacy policies, as well as interviews with representatives from group coupon companies, this article outlines a number of concerns surrounding the ways that digital surveillance techniques are being used, and have the potential to be used, to define consumer interests. The article argues that such practices are particularly problematic when they are couched in the rhetoric of consumer freedom and power. The article concludes by suggesting emerging industry trends, including industry consolidation and geolocation technology, which raise additional questions about how companies shape consumer behavior.