Thesis statement: Consumer culture has a strong influence on self-identity in contemporary society.
Consumer culture, modernity and identity
The article by Thakur (2015), focuses on how what we consume in our daily lives, build who we are as individuals. The article gives brief overviews of thirteen essays on consumer identity. These essays present analyses of peoples’ articulation of consumer culture in five countries: the United State of America, India, Turkey, the Czech Republic and Russia (Thakur, 2015). The article illustrates how in some countries, consumption is about socialising and is seen as a meeting point, whereas in other countries consumption of luxury items gives the individual self-respect and self-confidence, where without these good one’s dignity is under threat (Thakur, 2015). This article is relevant to my critical perspective as it supports the idea of consumer culture influencing self-identity and how it has an effect on people daily lives.
Thakur, M. (2015). Consumer culture, modernity and identity. Decision, 42(1), 105-107. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40622-015-0076-2
Consumer culture and crisis of identity
The article by Chengbing (2011), looks at how people identify themselves through clothing, food, music, technologies and other goods. We are attracted to the things we buy, not necessary for its functional purpose, but rather to keep-up with fashion and to keep ourselves updated with social expectations (Chengbing, 2011). The article further addresses how through consumption, we lose our self-identity and we are constantly consuming more and more to figure out ‘who we are’ as an individual. Also, it emphasises how consumer behaviour changes when one is in a personal setting verses one in a public setting (Chengbing, 2011). The article is a relevant source to my critical perspective as it emphasises how consumer culture has a significant influence on self-identity in the modern society.
Chengbing, W. (2011). Consumer culture and the crisis of identity. Journal of Value Inquiry, 45(3), 293-298. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10790-011-9292-y
Culture and design emerging markets: The case of mobile phone in Russia
This article examines how old and new cultural shift has a significant influence on consumer culture and consumer preference (Salmi & Sharafutdinova, 2008). The article states that cultural, political, economical and personal changes and shifts create more opportunity for consumption. The product we publicly consume such a clothing, cosmetics, food and other goods act as a symbol of our self-identity and provides a social value; the product transmits information about the owner and the relation to others (Salmi & Sharafutdinova, 2008). This article is a relevant source to my critical perspective as it provides an interesting perspective on how consumer culture influences self-identity.
Salmi, A., & Sharafutdinova, E. (2008). Culture and design in emerging markets: The case of mobile phones in Russia. The Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 23(6), 384-394. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/08858620810894436
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