The Online Citizen-Consumer: Addressing Young People’s Political Consumption Through Technology Janelle Ward University of Amsterdam Paper prepared for the workshop “Young People, New Technologies and Political Engagement” University of Surrey July 24-25, 2007

Expanding “citizenship” behavior New conceptualizations of citizenship Role of ICT  Youth online and active - but doing what? Why the citizen-consumer?  Increasing corporate power (globalization)  Increase in issue-based movements

Addressing Consumers as Citizens The rise of socially responsible corporations Global corporations and responsible consumption Citizen-consumer: “a model of citizenship, with some of the classical republican dimensions of civic duty, public-spiritedness, and self-education is an increasingly apt description of consumer behavior” (Scammell, 2000: 352).

Are consumers really citizens? Social consciousness - just a way to market brands? Hyperrealism Are consumers really acting as citizens?

A citizen-consumer typology Socially Conscious Consumer Critical Citizen-Consumer Anti-Consumer

The Socially Conscious Consumer “…a consumer who takes into account the public consequences of his or her private consumption or who attempts to use his or her purchasing power to bring about social change” (Webster, 1975: 188). Restricts the exercise of social consciousness to her wallet Online: information seeking (e.g., The Body Shop)

The Body Shop “Made with Passion” Socially Conscious Consumer - addressed as an individual Hypocritical practices?

The Critical Citizen-Consumer More critical of socially conscious marketing techniques Proactive information gathering, and participation in relevant organizations Online: actively monitor corporations (e.g., Friends of the Earth)

Friends of the Earth Environmental organization network with a focus on “corporates” Addresses the CCC as a member of a collective

The Anti-Consumer Rejects consumer culture Rather than working with corporations, protests against their role in society Online: radical, collective action against corporations (e.g., Adbusters)

Adbusters Anti-consumerist holidays Culture jamming Addresses the Anti- Consumer as a member of a collective

Adbusters (2) The anti-consumerist sneaker?

Issues for discussion Can each identity be considered “political?” How does mode of address differ? What kind of democracy is being promoted within each identity? Categorizing websites within the typology