Divergence in cultural practices: Tastes as signals of identity

This dissertation investigates fluctuations in the success of culture by examining the role of identity-signaling in product adoption and abandonment. People often diverge from members of other social groups: they select tastes that separate them from members of other groups and abandon tastes when members of other groups adopt them. I use an identity signaling approach to help understand divergence. Individuals' tastes---the possessions they buy, attitudes they hold, or behaviors they engage in---can communicate identity, but the particular identity they signal often depends on the identity of the set of people that hold the taste. Consequently, people may diverge from members of other social groups to avoid signaling undesired identities.; Supporting this perspective, a series of studies illustrates that (1) people diverge more in domains that others use to infer identity and (2) people diverge more from out-groups they want to avoid being thought members of. The research demonstrates the divergence phenomenon, underscores its importance in driving product adoption and abandonment, and provides a theoretical model that explains divergence. The dissertation also builds on these findings to provide a broader model that provides insight into social contagion, and fluctuations in the popularity of culture more broadly.