Corresponding author:
Natyra Xharavina, Management School, The University of Sheffield, Conduit Rd, Sheffield SI0 IFL, UK. Email: nxharavinaI@sheffield.ac.uk
Introduction
Apart from revolutionizing the communication process, the development of the Internet has reshaped the working practices of businesses by successively creating unprecedented opportunities for their activities (Quinton & Wilson, 2016). The opportunities that this computer-mediated environment has created for businesses are the online consumption-oriented gatherings occurring between consumers, which have been designated as virtual communities (Rheingold, 1993). Virtual communities "enable members with common interests to collaborate and interact with one another virtually" (Barret et al., 2016, p. 704); they are...