LA CONSOMMATION ALIMENTAIRE RESPONSABLE : ANALYSE DES CONTRIBUTIONS DU WEB SOCIAL AU CHANGEMENT ET AU RENFORCEMENT DES PRATIQUES

Abstract

In the food sector, consumers’ habits now tend to be more sustainable. They are increasingly more
aware of the necessity of having a sustainable food consumption. Nonetheless, several obstacles still
prevent them from taking action. The main objective of this research is to explore how involvement
in virtual communities on sustainable food consumption, contributes to the changes in behavior
and the reinforcement of responsible practices. We conducted a study of the social web, in which
we used various levels of analysis. The first study, which focuses on 2441 posts extracted from
1001 blogs and forums about responsible food, enabled to shape 5 types of representations. The
second study, undertaken on 6 online communities, enabled us to define four profiles of responsible
consumers within these communities and understand how they influence the other members and
contribute to reducing obstacles regarding sustainable consumption. The results present theoretical
and operational perspectives for the constantly evolving food-processing industry.