Emergent-Nature Consumers as the Source of Innovation for Rapid Change:

Analyses of Social Media Usage during the COVID-19 Outbreak

Abstract

The aim of this study is to show the value of emergent-nature consumers (ENCs) as a source of next-generation innovation during periods of rapid change such as the COVID-19 outbreak. We collected application startup logs from smartphones and conducted a survey during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. We found that ENCs were more adaptable to environmental change due to the COVID-19 outbreak than lead-users (LUs). In addition, ENCs increased or decreased their usage of social media less than LUs and general-users (GUs), and used these media broadly during the COVID-19 crisis. These results suggest that ENCs use their social media more broadly and frequently than other consumers.