Selecting, Optimizing, and Compensating During Lockdown: How Older Consumers Use Social Networking Services to Improve Social Well-Being

During the COVID-19 pandemic, older consumers have increased their usage of social networking services (SNSs) to avoid isolation, yet this behavior remains unexplored. Through selective optimization with compensation theory, authors combine concepts from gerontology and marketing investigate following research question: How does consumers’ SNSs during pandemic interrelate constructs well-being? The draws on qualitative data collated lockdown in United Kingdom, including 14 semistructured interviews participants age 65–80 six months netnographic an online forum geared toward people. findings reveal how leverage three strategies—selection, optimization, compensation—to improve use interactions lockdowns. Such behaviors turn dimensions well-being: acceptance, integration, contribution, actualization, coherence. This contributes literature by (1) introducing a framework for transformative into service research, (2) utilizing theory studies further understand consumer, (3) enhancing sparse understanding SNSs. Future directions managerial implication are suggested both marketers developers aging consumers.