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The purpose of this paper is to assess the state of the art in social media and pharmaceutical marketing through empirical analysis of online consumer conversations. Proliferation of social media has significantly changed traditional one-way, marketing-controlled communications. Balance of power has shifted to consumers, who use social networking sites, blogs and forums to obtain extensive brand and product information, often from each other. This prompts companies towards more intimate, transparent and constant two-way consumer engagement. Pharmaceutical marketing and direct to consumer advertising (DTCA) are not immune to this pervasive, disruptive cultural/technological phenomenon, which poses particular challenges given regulatory, legal and ethical constraints on their marketing.

This research uses “netnographic” data collection of online conversations occurring in social media and develops an explanatory framework using grounded theory analytical methods.

This research shows that significantly impactful and pervasive bonding among consumers, bloggers and unofficial “experts” about pharmaceutical offerings is widespread, and occurs regardless (and perhaps in spite of) pharmaceutical companies’ involvement.

Considering the structure and nature of online consumer bonding, a way forward is proposed for pharmaceutical companies to implement social media strategies as part of their pharmaceutical marketing and DTCA efforts through an intermediary and interactive online presence arising from disease and health care education.

This research aims to contribute to the marketing and entrepreneurship literature by showing that there is a new, different digital divide for rural small businesses based not on access to the internet but on its use for digital marketing.

This research uses data from the state of North Carolina, examining 1,000 businesses across both rural and non-rural geographies in terms of their deployment of Web and social media marketing technologies. Further, within the rural category, analysis proceeded to ascertain potential differences between “western” (mountainous) and “eastern” (coastal) rural areas.

The research concludes that despite significant improvements in broadband access in rural areas, rural small businesses still lagged in terms of adoption of state-of-the-art Web and social media marketing practices. However, between western and eastern rural areas, differences in this lag in best practice were not discovered.

Although the data collected were limited to small businesses in North Carolina, the results may not generalize all small businesses.

While underserved, rural economies received apt attention with regard to closing the proverbial “digital divide” in terms of broadband (high-speed internet) services. Resolution of this disparity does not necessarily portend that those same constituents also closed the gap in terms of using online, marketing best practices that are facilitated by broadband. Policymakers wishing to promote rural economies need to address not only the existence of an internet infrastructure but also the small businesses’ willingness and ability to use it effectively.

The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the meaning of fake news in the digital age and on the debate on disinformation in scholarly literature, in the light of the ethics of library and information profession.

Revision of a keynote address at the BOCATSSS2020 conference, this paper offers an overview of current literature comparing it with a moment in the past that was crucial for information: post-Second World War time, when Wiener (1948) founded cybernetics and C.P. Snow advocated for “The two cultures” (1959).

The complex issue demands a multi-disciplinary approach: there is not one solution, and some approaches risk limiting the freedom of expression, yet countering the phenomenon is a moral obligation for library and information science professionals.

Comparing the present digital revolution with the past, this paper opens questions on the ethical commitment of information professionals.

The Furniture, Fixture and Equipment (FFE) sector is well placed to leverage virtual reality (VR) technology for competitive and operational advantages; however, the diffusion of VR applications in this sector has followed a steep curve. This study reports on the implementation of two novel VR applications in the FFE sector and also investigates the challenges and benefits associated with their use and adaptability.

A sequential exploratory mixed research methodology consisting of three phases was adopted for this study. This included identification of factors that affect/facilitate the implementation of VR (Challenges and Benefits) using experiments during in-house prototyping of VR applications, a rigorous literature review and questionnaire survey to solicit FFE Stakeholder's (n = 117) opinion on the utility and usefulness of the proposed applications and to the understand factors that facilitate and inhibit their implementation in FFE's context, particularly as a design communication and coordination tool.

The findings of this study revealed that distributed and single-user VR has become essential to digitalising the FFE sector's design communication with improved design communication being regarded as the most important benefit of its use. Conversely, the most critical challenge that inhibits the implementation of these two VR applications in the FFE sector is the perceived cost.

This study provides valuable insight to FFE's stakeholders to devise action plans to mitigate myriad complex and interrelated factors that affect the adoption of virtual reality technology in the FFE sector that are otherwise very hard to understand, and the consequential implementation of any mitigation plans cannot be devised.

The purpose of this paper is to offer a framework of third-place value offering that explains how specific consumer groups’, senior citizens, customer-to-customer engagement in third places can develop their value experiences.

Data were collected for two studies from senior citizen clubs in Australia. Study 1 uses focus group (12) and is analysed with QSR NVivo software following content analysis. Study 2 is based on 324 surveys and is analysed with AMOS version 24 software.

Study 1 identifies eight themes based on 29 main codes to develop a framework on the value offerings of third-place value and its consumer-centric effect on seniors’ loyalty and social capital. The themes under social capital and loyalty contributed to a better understanding of how consumers engage with each other in social clubs and develop their social capital. The results of Study 2 support the conceptualisation of third-place value offering as a reflective model and confirm the model’s nomological validity in relation to seniors’ loyalty and social capital outcomes.

The only limitation of the paper is that it presents findings based on data collected in a regional place in Australia.

The findings provide three practical implications for managers to consider in relation to service places: improve consumer patronage through community engagement, improve local business practices via consumer–owner friendship and redesign spatial settings to deliver meaningful consumer experiences.

The present study has three social implications; first, it highlights the significant role of third places in bringing isolated groups of community together for regular interaction and socialisation. It also extends understanding on senior citizen customers and their consumption experiences within third places for value creation. The study also contributes to understanding how senior citizen customers develop loyalty towards third places and enhance their social capital through social engagement in the place.

This paper uses consumption experience to develop the consumer value in third places. It provides a consumer-centric focus to servicescape and incorporates recent works on third places, value, social capital and loyalty.