Identity, consumption and narratives of socialization

Shankar, Avi; Elliott, Richard; Fitchett, James

doi:10.1177/1470593108100062

Cited by 131 publications

(151 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…More importantly, our study evidences that consumers may find in material elements -not only finished objects -the properties and capacities (indeed, the agencies) they need to support these connections among identity projects. For instance, we show that, in selectively projecting their emotions onto one or another element of the preobjectification stage rather than on the finished shoes, Melissa consumers can build flexible identities that minimize the risk of social disapproval that come with identity choices (Shankar et al, 2009). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As illustrated by blogger Karina Stanlei's narrative, this transformation is not subtle and gradual (as the long-term identity projects discussed by Shankar et al, 2009). Rather, consumers' relationship to Melissa shoes resembles infatuation: immediate, overpowering, and impossible to resist, a relationship to which they "surrender" or "become addicted to" (emic terms).…”

Section: Melisseira Identitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore the capacity of objects to work in consumers' favor by supporting their identity projects (Ahuvia, 2005) is relative. These findings highlight the need to attend to the constraints on consumer agency when objects are taken as active in consumer identityshaping (Shankar et al, 2009). In addition, the capacity of material goods to introduce reflexive thoughts and actions into the object-consumer relation should be highlighted, as the agency of objects seems to play a more prominent role in the process of materiality than that which has been granted to it by consumer research thus far (Borgerson, 2013).…”

Section: Object-consumer Relations and Their Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For instance, Shankar et al (2009) note that while choosing an identity may seem an agentic choice, it can also be a very threatening one because of its potential to cause social rejection. Whereas Shankar et al's (2009) analysis focuses on what constrains consumer identity projects, it also highlights the role of objects as a stabilizing force in human life.…”

Section: Object-consumer Relations and Their Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Conversely, material goods may drive consumers to recall aspects of their existing identities that may be seen as unfitting to the consumers' current forms of socialization and ongoing identity projects (Shankar et al, 2009). This disconnect could undermine consumers' relationship with these objects and their brands.…”

Section: Object-consumer Relations and Their Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

“My plastic dreams”: Towards an extended understanding of materiality and the shaping of consumer identities

Ferreira

Scaraboto

2016

Journal of Business Research

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Individuals relate to consumption objects as a means to develop, reinforce, transform, or align their fragmented individual identities. Prior research has mainly focused on understanding the identity-shaping potential of finished consumer products, such as branded shoes. Less attention has been dedicated to understanding how material substances, designer intentions, and marketing efforts jointly influence materiality and the shaping of consumers' identities. Drawing from a netnographic investigation of an online community of plastic shoe aficionados, we extend current understandings of object-consumer relations to include pre-objectification -a process whereby cultural forms are translated into material objects. This expanded view allows us to examine the outcomes of consumer interaction with material elements inscribed in consumption objects. Our study uncovers a collective materialization process where culturally situated material interactions give shape to consumer identities and feed back into consumer culture.Keywords: materiality, object relations, objectification, consumer identity, plastic shoes, netnography 2 2 "My plastic dreams": Toward an extended understanding of materiality and the shaping of consumer identities IntroductionConsumer research has extensively examined how interactions with products help consumers to shape their identities and selves (Belk, 1998;Ahuvia, 2005). Product design, for instance, can elicit infatuation in object-consumer relations (Lastovicka and Sirianni, 2011), and consumers may become attached and develop relationships with specific material objects, independently of these objects' brands (Lastovicka and Sirianni, 2013). Although recent research in various disciplines has started to move beyond finished consumption objects to look at the material characteristics objectified in them, a comprehensive framework for examining the identity-shaping outcomes of consumers' interaction with pre-objectification elements is absent (Dant, 2008;Ingold, 2012;Borgerson, 2013). The "thingness" of consumption objects (Miller, 1987(Miller, , 2005 thus has the potential to support consumer identity-shaping in ways that we do not fully understand. Our study addresses this gap by proposing an expanded view of materiality that considers how interaction with objectified material elements may influence consumers' identity projects.In elaborating our framework, we focus on shoes, a consumption object that is frequently associated with consumers' identity-shaping efforts (Belk, 2003;Marion and Nairn, 2011). Shoes, like clothes, are an example of an object that is "especially suitable for studying the relationship between personal values and values attributed to material goods because of its close association with perceptions of the self" (Crane and Bovone, 2006). Material culture surrounding shoes stimulates consumer imaginations through fantasies and dreams of escape from reality (Huey and Proctor, 2011). In many fairy tales, movies and TV shows, shoes are gifted with "the magical power t...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Melisseira Identitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Object-consumer Relations and Their Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Object-consumer Relations and Their Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Object-consumer Relations and Their Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

“My plastic dreams”: Towards an extended understanding of materiality and the shaping of consumer identities

Ferreira

Scaraboto

2016

Journal of Business Research

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Does an iPod make you happy? An exploration of the effects of iPod ownership on life satisfaction

Cockrill

2012

J of Consumer Behaviour

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The Apple iPod is currently the undisputed leading product in the global MP3 player market. This competitive advantage is due to the design, high functionality, and perhaps most importantly, the 'cool factor' which Apple has managed to obtain with its products. This study explores if owning an iPod (as opposed to another brand of MP3 player) makes a difference in the perception of general life satisfaction. Using Diener et al.'s generic satisfaction with life scale (SWLS) to measure the dependent variable life satisfaction, a model with the key concepts usage, benefits, peer influence, design, iPod phenomenon, and iPod bubble has been developed and tested in a variety of ways, including regression analysis. The sample consisted of a multinational sample of 240+ young adults, aged 18-35 years. The demographic profiles of iPod and non-iPod owners were very similar, but for iPod owners, 23 per cent of the variance in overall life satisfaction is explained by the key concepts used in this research. Key influencing variables for iPod owners are peer influence and design. For non-iPod owners, the amount of variance explained by the independent variables was negligible. iPod owners also considered their MP3 players to be much 'cooler' than did non-iPod owners. This article considers the managerial implications of these findings for Apple and for competing brands. The social implications of these findings and their significance are also discussed, and several potential areas for further research are highlighted.Note: Age: dummy for under/over 25 years (0/1). Gender: dummy femalemale (0/1). Status: nonstudent/student (0/1). The construct iPod phenomenon was not measured for non-iPod owners.iPod ownership and life satisfaction 411

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Co‐creation and ambiguous ownership within virtual communities: the case of the Machinima community

Harwood

Garry

2014

J of Consumer Behaviour

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This research contributes to a gap in our understanding of value and its cocreation by empirically investigating issues related to ambiguities of legal ownership of cocreated outputs from a virtual experience environment and the subsequent consequences of these on value creation. The context is Machinima, the making of original content using the content of computer games engines wherein a games developer and members of a virtual community simultaneously collaborate to generate and distribute content thus potentially creating tension around ownership and authorship. The investigation had three aims. The first objective was to provide a holistic gestalt of how value is cocreated, transformed, transferred and consumed when the roles of consumer and producer become 'blurred'. The second objective was to examine how legal 'ambiguity' of ownership potentially acts as an enabler of creativity within such contexts. The final objective was to develop a better understanding of the social, economic and legal determinants and consequences of such ambiguity on ownership as both an experience and an implicit legal arrangement. Taken holistically, the findings suggest the ambiguous nature of ownership from a legal perspective contributes and informs creative endeavour from both an organisational and community perspective. Within the context of this investigation, ownership ambiguity paradoxically may provide an on-going environment in which value creation processes beneficial to both participant and developer flourish.

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Identity, consumption and narratives of socialization

Cited by 131 publications

References 34 publications

“My plastic dreams”: Towards an extended understanding of materiality and the shaping of consumer identities

“My plastic dreams”: Towards an extended understanding of materiality and the shaping of consumer identities

Does an iPod make you happy? An exploration of the effects of iPod ownership on life satisfaction

Co‐creation and ambiguous ownership within virtual communities: the case of the Machinima community

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