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Relation between consumption and identity
Consumer identity is connected with the consumption of goods
Role of mass communication in our lives
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Consumption involves individuals purchasing goods to achieve a meaning or value to the consumer, not simply for the material benefit it offers. Instead, ‘commodities are not just objects of economic exchange, they are goods to think with, goods to speak with’ (Fiske, 1989) (Cited in Bocock, 1993). This suggests that individuals use goods as symbolic props, as a way of creating and moulding their own identities. It is suggested that the individual has the ability to create their own narrative and can rely upon the novelties of consumer goods. However, the individual is still bound by the market and the mass commodities of Capitalism. For example: sports individuals purchase equipment, clothing etc, to encourage the identity they wish to possess. As they see these goods as a connection to their lifestyle.
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)
According to Scitovsky (1976), the desire to consume is ...
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...ARLS, K., 1994. The impact of modernity on consumption: Simmel's Philosophy of Money. Advances in Consumer Research, 21, pp. 65-65.
TAYLOR, L., 2013. Consuming Passions. BBC Radio 4 Thinking Aloud. [Podcast] 02/01/2013. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01phj21 [Accessed:12/10/2013]
BOURDIEU, P., 1984. Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
JAMES, O., 2008. Affluenza. Random House.
SHANKAR, A., ELLIOTT, R. and FITCHETT, J.A., 2009. Identity, consumption and narratives of socialization. Marketing Theory, 9(1), pp. 75-94.
WAGNER, P., 2002. A sociology of modernity: Liberty and discipline. Routledge. http://www.acrwebsite.org/search/view-conference-proceedings.aspx?Id=7564 SASSATELLI, R., 2007. Consumer Culture. London: Sage.
SHIELDS, R., 2003. Lifestyle shopping: the subject of consumption. Routledge.
In chapter seven of The Way We Never Were, Stephanie Coontz focuses on consumerism and materialism. In this chapter, Coontz claims that the root causes of consumerism is affecting Americans in a contemporary society is the mindset of people having an addiction to having the latest and greatest in terms of any goods. Coontz argues that “consumerism and materialism affect working adults and non working ones, both sexes and all ages, people who endorse new roles for women and people who oppose them” (page 223). In our society people buy what they want rather than what they need.
People are often deceived by some famous brands, which they will buy as useless commodities to feel they are distinctive. People require brands to experience the feeling of being special. People spend their money to have something from famous brands, like a bag from Coach or Louis Vuitton which they think they need, yet all that is just people’s wants. Steve McKevitt claims that people give more thought on features or brands when they need to buy a product, “It might even be the case that you do need a phone to carry out your work and a car to get around in, but what brand it is and, to a large extent, what features it has are really just want” (McKevitt, 145), which that means people care about brands more than their needs. Having shoes from Louis Vuitton or shoes that cost $30 it is designed for the same use.
Swimme, Brian. “How Do Our Kids Get So Caught Up in Consumerism”. The Human Experience: Who Am I?. 8th ed. Winthrop University: Rock Hill SC, 2012. 155-157. Print.
The Sex of Things is a collection of thirteen essays discussing the social history of consumption (loosely defined) and gender in France, England, Germany, Italy, and the United States from the eighteenth to the late twentieth century. Taking a primarily historical approach to the topic of gender and consumption, the contributors come from various academic disciplines: history, economics, area studies, English, art history, and gender studies. The contributors contextualize their analyses of gender and consumption historically in visual representations and popular social and political lines of thought.
There are many people who are driven by consumerism, and many people who wish they could get in touch with that type of world. Consumers are often encouraged to advertise more of the products that they are buying to get more people to buy more products. Hari Kunzru, author of “Raj, Bohemian,” creates a narrator who is obsessed with maintaining his individuality and free will in a world that is overcome with consumerism. Believes that the world takes away individuality when consumerism comes into play and how hard it is to maintain their true self. In her LA Times article “Teen Haulers Create a Fashion Force,” Andrea Chang writes about the phenomenon of teenage YouTube users who make videos that publicize their latest shopping binges.
Bourdieu, Pierre. Distinction- A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste(Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1984)
In 1899 Thorstein Veblen wrote The Theory of the Leisure Class: An Economic Study of Institutions. In this work, Veblen presented critical thinking that pertains to people’s habits and their related social norms. He explores the way certain people disregard the divisions that exist within the social system, while subsequently emulating certain aspects of the leisure class in an effort to present an image of higher social status. He also presented the theory of conspicuous consumption, which refers to an instance when a person can fulfill their needs by purchasing a product at a lower cost that is equal in quality and function to its more expensive counterpart; however, said person chooses to buy the more expensive product, by doing so, they are attempting to present an image of a higher social status. The almost 110 year cycle between 1899 and 2010 reveals few differences in buying behaviors, other than the differing selection of luxury goods to indulge, or over-indulge in.
Under the current capitalism society and material culture, people tend to form their identities through consumption, this means more than to consume products which are needed to survive, consumption can also link to self-identity formation and expression. People are imperceptibly influenced by the mass media that self-identity can be shaped and formed through consuming specific products. Therefore it can be said, fashion is an important element of identity formation. Young people are commonly feared of being seen as outdated and seek for acceptance from the peers and the society. According to Erikson’s theory of personal social and personal development adolescences and young adults see peers as a critical influence, acceptance of peers can lead to security of identity and self-esteem. This essay is going to examine how young people shape or form their identities through the consumption of fashion. Youths tend to shape their identity through different styles or ways of dressing, differentiate themselves from others and express their feeling or identity through fashion.
He is best known for his book, In Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste (Bourdieu, P, 1984).
Author describes the intent behind these accumulations, “Arman’s motivations force us to come to terms with his complicated and evolving attachments to consumption, and perhaps, through this, we can come to terms with our own.” Arman wanted to bring awareness to the life objects had after the consumer initial usage. It is a tool that is used to keep track of the cycle of consumption. “Publicity is never a celebration of pleasure in itself.
Sassatelli, R. (2007). Consumer Culture: History, Theory and Politics, London: Sage, Page 30, Page 126, Page 132, Page 133
Burke, P.J. & Stets, J.E. (2000). Identity Theory and Social Identity Theory. Social Psychology Quarterly 63(3), 224-237
As Ritzer (1999a) argues, “people are lured to the cathedrals of consumption, by the fantacies they promise to fulfill and then kept there by a variety of rewards and constraints” (p. 28). Once enticed into the cathedrals of consumption consumers are made captives. There seems to be no choice but to observe and desire. Those denied access to the world of consumption due to lack of resources, mobility or any other factor, are marginalized and excluded (Gabriel, 2005). Thus, these networks may be seen as a mediums via which products are marketed to consumers with the ‘well meaning’ intent of improving their welfare by expanding choice.
Individuals also learn to adopt materialistic values through social learning from family members, peers, and the materialistic messages that they are frequently bombarded with in television programs advertisements (Kasser et al., 2004). The materialistic lifestyle, According to Kasser (2002), is a process of acquiring material goods beyond the necessities to meet human needs. It is of high importance to the individuals to attain financial success, impressive possessions, an attractive image, and a replicable status. Materialistic people tend to use money as a mean of self-enhancement (Kasser et al, 2004). Similarly, Belk (1985) explains materialism as the importance a consumer places on the acquisition and ownership of possessions (Belk 1985) and the view that there is a ris...
Sociologist Robert van Krieken (2005) says that our identity is the constellation of characteristics that we may regard as part of our “self”, including the way we present ourselves to others. Respond to this statement by exploring this idea from the viewpoint of socialisation. To support your argument, your response must include the analysis of at least two specific examples related to either or both culture and identity.