Technology Dependence and Consumer Vulnerability in Digital Marketing Ecosystems

As digital platforms increasingly mediate individuals' consumption experiences, it has become crucial for marketing and public policy research to understand how individuals' continuing dependence on such platforms affects their agency and vulnerability (Borenstein, & Taylor, 2024; Laamanen et al., 2025; Stewart et al., 2024; Yadav et al., 2025). Recent studies show that dependence on technology increases consumers' vulnerability to false information as their level of scepticism reduces (Laamanen et al., 2025), and the opacity of algorithms in AI systems generates asymmetric information that systematically disadvantages consumers (Zheng et al., 2025). This project, which seeks to contribute to theory on technology-mediated consumer vulnerability (Basu et al., 2023; Laamanen et al., 2025; Leandro & Botelho, 2025), algorithmic opacity in AI systems (Zheng et al., 2025), digital agency frameworks (Stewart et al., 2024), and justice perspectives on transparency and control (Waseem et al., 2024), investigates how technology dependence affects consumer vulnerability in digital marketing ecosystems, with a particular focus on how consumers navigate privacy vulnerability in personalised advertising ecosystems. The doctoral researcher will employ a mixed-method design, which will combine qualitative and quantitative methods.

Supervisors

Dr Benjamin Afreh

Dr. Babatunde Musiliu Abina

Selected References
Basu, R., Kumar, A., & Kumar, S. (2023). Twenty‐five years of consumer vulnerability research: critical insights and future directions. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 57(1), 673-695.

Borenstein, B. E., & Taylor, C. R. (2024). The effects of targeted digital advertising on consumer welfare. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 32(3), 317-332.

Laamanen, M., Kok, E., Dulsrud, A., & Slettemeås, D. (2025). Digital agency and vulnerability: a study on young adult consumers in personalised advertising ecosystems. In Wilska, T. A., & Nyrhinen, J. (Eds.). Young People in Digital Environments: Agency, Opportunities and Risks (pp. 141-159). Edward Elgar Publishing.

Leandro, J. C., & Botelho, D. (2025). From Order to Chaos: How Consumers Lose Control of Risks (and of Themselves). Journal of Consumer Research, ucaf026.

Stewart, K., Perren, R., Chambers, C., & Zulauf, R. (2024). In tech we rely: How technology dependence fuels consumer vulnerability. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 58(4), 905-945.

Waseem, D., Chen, S., Xia, Z., Rana, N. P., Potdar, B., & Tran, K. T. (2024). Consumer vulnerability: understanding transparency and control in the online environment. Internet Research, 34(6), 1992-2030.

Zheng, Z., Tan, Q. L., Zheng, X., & Yang, Y. (2025). The Dark Side of AI in Insurance: A Systematic Review of Mechanisms Linking AI Design Features to Consumer Harm. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 59(4), e70034.