Consumer Culture: History, Theory and Politics

Sassatelli, Roberta

doi:10.4135/9781446212684

Cited by 227 publications

(46 citation statements)

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“…Moreover, our contemporary societies have become dependent on economic growth and insatiable consumer demand for their social stability (securing welfare and jobs; see Jackson, 2017). Consumer culture accordingly push people toward mass consumption habits (Schor, 2005;Sassatelli, 2007).…”

Section: Theoretical Points Of Departure and Thematic Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The first theme is about desired objects, which is motivated by a variety of studies of consumer culture showing how vital consumption is for providing meaning to the consumer (e.g., Richins, 1994;Schor, 1998Schor, , 2005Wilk, 2002;Belk et al, 2003;Bauman, 2007;Sassatelli, 2007;Dittmar, 2008;Jackson, 2017). Commodities may be valuable to the individual because of their usefulness, the pleasure they bring, the sense of freedom they bring, the interpersonal ties they represent, for identity formation, or for the social status they symbolize.…”

Section: Theoretical Points Of Departure and Thematic Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is a number of everyday "rituals" or activities that families and friends are doing together to confirm their relations (Rook, 1985;Collins, 2005). These everyday rituals are in many ways tied to consumer objects (fashion, gifts), activities (shopping, dinners, holidays, birthday parties) and settings (the shopping mall, the café) (Miller, 1998;Sassatelli, 2007;Boström, 2021a). For instance, the traveling abroad for the weekend holiday bolsters the family unit or the romantic relationship.…”

Section: Theoretical Points Of Departure and Thematic Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Could practices of reduced consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic facilitate transformative change for sustainability? Experiences from Sweden and Ireland

2022

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The COVID-19 pandemic implied a disruption of several consumer practices, which offers an opportunity to explore experiences and possibilities to switch toward more sustainable lifestyles with reduced consumption. This article asks if there is long-term transformative potential toward more sustainable and climate friendly consumption practices embedded in these new experiences. By the use of qualitative interviews, the article explores learning experiences gained by “mainstream” consumers in Sweden and Ireland. A theoretical framework consisting of five themes, also related to previous COVID-19 research, guide the analysis of empirical findings: 1) desired objects; 2) confirmation of social relations by non- or alternative consumption; 3) temporal and spatial aspects; 4) de-normalization of mass consumption; 5) new competences and social support. Findings suggest that the long-term lifestyle transformation possibilities are not vast, but neither are they insignificant. Various positive experiences, with implications for reduced/alternative consumption, can be stored in collective memories even if several consumer practices bounce back to “normal” after the pandemic. Based on the findings, the long-term transformative potential is discussed through the lenses of transformative learning, reflectivity, and adaptative abilities. The study contributes to the literature on sustainable and reduced consumption, including literature on degrowth, sufficiency, and downsizing.

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Section: Theoretical Points Of Departure and Thematic Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Theoretical Points Of Departure and Thematic Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Theoretical Points Of Departure and Thematic Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Could practices of reduced consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic facilitate transformative change for sustainability? Experiences from Sweden and Ireland

2022

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“…The homo economicus figure of classical economic theory is assumed to be directed towards objects that satisfy a need, making consumer decisions based only on maximizing utility (Baudrillard, 1988). Just as the technical– rational approach to understanding travel behaviour loses sight of alternative embodied and ludic meanings associated with mobility, Baudrillard’s theory of consumption loses the myriad and contradictory relationships that people build with objects and is, thus, inadequate in understanding consumer behaviour (Sassatelli, 2007).…”

Section: Review Of Conceptual Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Rational versus Fashionable: Youth Identity, Play and Agency in Namibian Cycling Mobilities

Baker

2021

Progress in Development Studies

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The bicycle has been prescribed as an ‘intermediate mode of transport’ intended as a low-cost approach to address mobility inequality and poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. Within this framework, the bicycle is commonly intended to technologically advance head portage for those who cannot access motorized transport. The singular vision of the bicycle as a load-carrying device has sought to encourage industrious activities over alternative practices, such as play, embodied sensory experiences of mobility and conspicuous consumption for identity performance that are important aspects of youth agency. This article alternatively demonstrates the complexity of mobility and consumer behaviour among young Namibians as they negotiate multiple identities embodied in their mobility. In doing so, the article examines the limitations of youth agency expressed in play, mobility and subject formation, given the normative understandings of gender.

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“…It is taste that ultimately determines and a consumption value determines social status. The main characteristic of this shallowness is that people only believe in what they see, and are reluctant to go deeper (Sassatelli, 2007).…”

Section: Consumerism and The Impact Of Environmental Damagementioning

confidence: 99%

Media, Consumerism and the Environment: The Relationship of Media and Consumptive Behavior of Urban Society to Environmental Damage

Farid

Saputra

2021

muharrik

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In a few decades, the media has become the locomotive that controls the consumptive behavior of society, especially in urban areas. Massive media that aggressively offers easy access to meet all kinds of urban community needs encourages consumerism. The trend of consumerist urban lifestyle in the end must take consequences for environmental damage. As with Fast Food and Fashion which results in increased industrial production, the energy required for production is higher. At the same time, the energy used also comes from the exploitation of the earth. Scholars such as Jean Baudrillard suggest that people do not buy goods, but buy signs that ultimately symbolize themselves to confirm which group they belong to and belong to. To contribute to the existing studies, the study in this article aims to explore and analyze the relation of media to the consumptive behavior of urban society and its impact on environmental damage. By using the perspective of Jean Baudrillard, the media is the most significant contributor that encourages consumerism in urban communities so that it has an impact on environmental damage. The reality of the media has created a false consciousness so that consumer society only consumes signs, not goods and services. The emergence of visual waste impacts urban society's consumerism, resulting in the loss of public space and the strengthening of the greenhouse gas effect.

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Consumer Culture: History, Theory and Politics

Cited by 227 publications

References 0 publications

Could practices of reduced consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic facilitate transformative change for sustainability? Experiences from Sweden and Ireland

Could practices of reduced consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic facilitate transformative change for sustainability? Experiences from Sweden and Ireland

Rational versus Fashionable: Youth Identity, Play and Agency in Namibian Cycling Mobilities

Media, Consumerism and the Environment: The Relationship of Media and Consumptive Behavior of Urban Society to Environmental Damage

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