Introduction Fonseca (2008) defines Consumer culture as a process that “represents a condition in which consumption is seen as having the role of increasingly mediating certain aspects of social relations and consumption has the symbolic ability to represent affiliation to a certain group and its lifestyles, as well as to generate a sense of identity.” The mention of identity in Fonseca’s definition brings about an understanding of the impact consumer culture can have on social agents, and not just on the economic or capitalism that comes with consumption. This essay will discuss the relationship between Consumer culture and Identity. The essay is divided into five parts; the first section is an introduction into what Consumer culture is, the second section is also an introduction into what Identity is and how it is used in the context of the essay, the third section deals with the crisis of identity in modern day, the fourth section introduces consumption in a contemporary society, the fifth section explains the impact consumption have on identity (how we reflect on ourselves and use goods to shape our identity). This essay concludes by using Giddens (1991) argument about the modern dynamic reflectivity has an impact in the process of reconstructing ones identity when it comes in contact with the post traditional setting, to show that the relation between consumer culture and identity is that Identity is formed as consumption takes place. Introduction to Consumer Culture The word “culture” has been defined as “one of the two or three most complicated words in English Language” (William; 1958). Over the years the meaning of the word has changed and varied in different parts of the world. In 1881, Taylor defined culture a... ... middle of paper ... ...society: Myths and structures (Vol. 53). Sage. Beck, U., & Beck-Gernsheim, E. (1995). The normal chaos of love. Cambridge: Polity Press. Blumer, H. (1969). Symbolic interactionism. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall Davis, J. (2007). The Promise of Potential. Minnesota: JD Coaching and Consulting. Dittmar, H. 1992. The Social Psychology of Material Possessions: To Have Is To Be, Hertfordshire, Harvester Wheatsheaf. Giddens, A. (1991). Modernity and self-identity: self and identity in the late modern age. Cambridge: Polity. Lury, C. 1996. Consumer Culture, Cambridge, Polity Press. Sassatelli, R. (2007). Consumer culture: History, theory and politics. Sage. Slater, D. (1997). Consumer culture and modernity. Blackwell Publishing: Malden Stryker, S. (1980). Symbolic interactionism: A social structural version. Menlo Park: Benjamin Cummings.
Culture has been defined numerous ways throughout history. Throughout chapter three of, You May Ask Yourself, by Dalton Conley, the term “culture” is defined and supported numerous times by various groups of people. One may say that culture can be defined as a set of beliefs (excluding instinctual ones), traditions, and practices; however not all groups of people believe culture has the same set of values.
The chosen article is Two Cheers for Consumerism by James Twitchell. In this article he talks about consumerism, commercialism, and materialism. He argues the stand point of consumers and the role they live by every day. In other hands the critics, Academy, gives the consumers and overview description to their consumers.
While they differ in genre, both works address the relationship between personal identity and consumer culture. Kunzru and Chang complicate each other’s commentary on consumer society because they both believe to have this frame of being real and having a true sense of individuality but they have different viewpoints of how the world of consumerism is framing them otherwise.
At first, the narrator conforms to the uneventful and dull capitalist society. He fines success in his work at an automobile manufacture, has obtained a large portion of his Ikea catalog, and has an expansive wardrobe. He is defined by his possessions and has no identity outside his furniture, which he remarks, “I wasn’t the only slave of my nesting instincts” (Palahniuk, 43) and “I am stupid, and all I do is want and need things.” (Palahniuk, 146) For the narrator, there is no fine line between the consumer [narrator] and the product. His life at the moment is a cycle of earning a wage, purchasing products, and representing himself through his purchases. “When objects and persons exist as equivalent to the same system, one loses the idea of other, and with it, any conception of self or privacy.” (Article, 2) The narrator loses sight of his own identity; he has all these material goods, but lacks the qu...
"Identity is a dynamic feature of social life. That is, it is something that is constantly evolving and changing. For some people, identity can change rapidly and dramatically, of course, but for most of us our identities evolve slowly and imperceptibly" (Livesey, n.d., p.1).
With the rise of industrialization, globalization, and mass production, the manufacturing productivity has been dramatically increased and accordingly the availability of consumer goods. And with the rise of the mass media, various products have been targeted on broad groups of consumers. Consumerism, which is propelled by a system of mass production and high levels of consumption, has been one of the themes in art works from twentieth century till now.
Cultures are infinitely complex. Culture, as Spradley (1979) defines it, is "the acquired knowledge that people use to interpret experiences and generate social behavior" (p. 5). Spradley's emphasizes that culture involves the use of knowledge. While some aspects of culture can be neatly arranged into categories and quantified with numbers and statistics, much of culture is encoded in schema, or ways of thinking (Levinson & Ember, 1996, p. 418). In order to accurately understand a culture, one must apply the correct schema and make inferences which parallel those made my natives. Spradley suggests that culture is not merely a cognitive map of beliefs and behaviors that can be objectively charted; rather, it is a set of map-making skills through which cultural behaviors, customs, language, and artifacts must be plotted (p. 7). This definition of culture offers insight into ...
As a living human being we are in a constant state of flux, life events constantly change us. From the smallest thing like a flat tire on the way to work on a raining Monday morning or a compliment a kind person gave you last year that still rings in your ear, all these events change you and shape you. Catherine Latterell points to assumptions about identity and how it is created in her book titled “Remix”, assumptions about identity and how it is created. The three assumptions being: identity is something we are born with, identity is shaped by culture and identity is shaped by personal choices. The assumption that environment has a role in who we are and who we become, as well as what we are born with or without – including our culture, all play a part in bringing together the mosaic of a whole person. Yet it is never fully complete, for it is always reshaping and growing. Mrigaa Sethi discusses these issues in
The United States is a country with a diverse existing population today; this country is known as a melting pot of different cultures, each one unique in its own respect. Culture; differentiate one societal group from another by identification beliefs, behaviors, language, traditions, Art, fashion styles, food, religion, politics, and economic systems. Through lifelong, ever changing processes of learning, creativity, and sharing culture shapes our patterns of behavior as well thinking. The Culture’s significance is so intense that it touches almost every aspect of who and what we are. Culture becomes the telescope through which we perceive and evaluate what is going on around us. Trying to define the perplexing term of culture with varying component of distinguishable characteristics is difficult to restrict. Presenly, culture is viewed as consisting primarily of the symbolic, untouched and conception aspects of human societies.
Many theorists suggest that consumption is correlated to the identity of an individual, that by purchasing goods from the mass market, it enables us to visibly establish our position within society. This differs from previous times in which a range of factors such as family histories, character and personal achievements played a significant role (Gabriel and Lang, 2006). Instead, there is the idea that the consumer has the ability to gain pleasure over objects, not just solely by the manipulation of objects, but through the degree of control over their meaning. The degree of control is developed and achieved through imagination and provides greater possibilities of pleasure experiences. This suggests that modern consumption can be seen as device that enables individuals to ‘dream’ about the desires they wish to fulfill. (Campbell, 1989: 79) (Cited in Gabirel & Lang, 2006)
The consumption of products and services is important for the way in which it functions to mark social differences and act as a communicator, but it also gives satisfaction. Style, status and group identification are aspects of identity value. People choose to display commodities or engage in different spheres of consumption in an attempt to express their identity in a certain sort of image. A clear example to demonstrate a way in which someone may communicate their identity is the football supporter. When referring to picture 1, by simply wearing a Manchester United shirt, a...
Nowadays, it is a consumption society which contains both homogeneity and diversity. As one of the biggest contributor of customer culture changes, advertising is an essential and inevitable element in our daily life which could be visible anywhere and experienced different stages. Early advertisements are generally seemed as “simple, crude and naïve”, while the contemporary advertisements are “persuasive, subtle and intelligent” (McFALL, 2004:3). The early advertise agency just bought some space in media and sold to customers. As the development of advertisement, art design and unique idea were added into advertising, and then it formed advertisement industry. Advertisement industry “adjusted its marketing practices to the novel situation created by consumer culture”. (McFALL, 2004:110) Advertisement is not only an assistor to the increase of consumption economy, but also a contributor to customer culture development. “The contemporary advertising agency did emerge as the result of historical circumstances”. (McFALL, 2004:111) The advertisement industries have more significant impact on marketing and customer which could be interacted with customer’s consumption attitude, value and belief. However, “culture can function like a nature” (Cronin, 2000:145). A slogan called “I shop therefore I am” which came from Barbara Kruger was famous in recent years. She argues that every purchasing behavior could be seemed as a reflection of customer’s aesthetic attitude, consumption taste and buying habit (I Shop, therefore I Am, 2000). In this article, a topic of the reflection and interaction between advertising and modern consumer culture would be analyzed, including the necessity, representation and semiotic meaning. This essay has three m...
In the modern society, the concept of identity is gaining much attention from both scientists and the wide public. The idea of identity is connected with the issues of identification and determining one's role in the society. However, the problem with the identity concerns the idea that it is perceived through numerous external factors that tend to determine the social status of a person and his or her belonging to a certain group. With regard to this, very often the identity of every particular person tends to be misinterpreted and perceived incorrectly. The incorrect interpretation of a person's identity usually comes as a result of cultural differences. The aspects that define the person’s identity usually include the labels that tend to be imposed on people due to their world-view, the language they are speaking, the racial belonging, or even the clothes they are wearing.
Culture, a word almost everyone hears whenever there is sociological discussion that transcends various formats ranging from scholarly articles to local news station broadcasts. Culture contains a myriad of definitions depending on the perspective and lenses used to view it. Since it is a difficult concept to grasp at first, we do not realize the true scale of culture and its responsibility in dictating many actions within our daily lives. Different cultures are found all throughout the world, from the ever increasing western culture to smaller tribal cultures such as the wintu in California (“Vanishing Voices”). What must be taken into account is the fact that culture is heavily intertwined within society, since they both interact with each other in some way.
The essay, will be structured in the following way. It will first outline the concept of consumer culture and its development in the last century. Moreover it will outline the change from the age of modernism to the post-modernist era.