How consumer market orientations shape algorithmic appreciation and avoidance in fashion

This study illuminates how the growing influence of algorithms is changing consumer practices. Drawing on Bourdieu’s field theory and semi-structured qualitative interviews, the research examines how engaged fashion consumers interact with Instagram’s algorithmic recommendations in their pursuit of building status. The findings reveal two distinct sets of practices of algorithmic field maneuvering: algorithmic optimization and algorithmic preservation. The analysis demonstrates that these practices are contingent on consumers’ market orientation, with mainstream consumers favoring algorithmic optimization and indie consumers opting for algorithmic preservation. The study advances the literature on consumer-algorithm interactions and presents managerial implications for better managing the risks of algorithmic marketing, particularly its impact on long-term brand building.