Consumption and Distinction Daniel Turner and Jenny Flinn Globalisation, Culture and Lifestyle Lecture X

The consumer society Industrial revolution and emergence of ‘new money’ Post-war affluence and emergence of youth market More than just ‘buying things’ – the magical quality of commodities/services/experiences (Miles, 2001) Consumption as a double agent – filling individual needs and desires but also social requirements.

Consumerism as communication Commodities assume more than their intrinsic ‘exchange value’ Attitudes, beliefs, values and characteristics attached to the act of consumption. Links to the branding process Links to post-modernity and risk-free consumption Veblen’s ‘leisure classes’ – communicating their arrival in social circles

Consumerism as ‘Distinction’ Bourdieu – ‘distinction’ and ‘taste’ Consumption as a means of establishing and reaffirming social hierarchies Consumption beyond the possession of the ‘thing’ but vital for the cultural capital reflected in its consumption. ‘Gentlemen’ and ‘Scholars’

Consumption as an escape Opiate for the masses? Seek satisfaction in the act of consumption itself rather than the object of consumption? Reaffirmation of capitalism through a never ending drive for consumption opportunities? Or: cultural auteurs – writing our unique life stories via our interpretations of acts of individual consumption? The act of consumption as social process and validation or individual experimentation or both?