ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces a relatively under-researched theory called reversal theory that offers promising utility in understanding consumer behavior in the era of social media and digital marketing. Telic and paratelic metamotivational states display interesting contrasting features. Heightened arousal induced by a demanding task causes individuals in a telic state to become anxious, but they become pleasantly relaxed once the task is completed. Frustration is the condition for reversal to occur, when individuals become frustrated, they switch from a paratelic to a telic mode. Frustration results in a reversal from arousal-seeking to arousal-avoidance and a concomitant reversal from paratelic to telic states. Many consumers spend a significant portion of their time on computers almost every day, reading newspapers, searching for information on products, visiting blogs about topics of personal interest from cooking to politics, and checking their news feeds on social media. During the course of these mundane activities and consumers may experience reversals in their metamotivational states.
