Consumer resistance and activism

Question 1

What is consumer resistance?

Answer 1

Consumer resistance refers to forms of variable oppositional responses to a practice of domination within the marketplace such as commercial pressure, influence, strategies, logic or discourses that are perceived, by the consumer/person as dissonant and antagonistic to their beliefs (Lee et al., 2011)

Question 2

Consumer power and resistance

Answer 2

As the political, moral, and economy are becoming increasingly intertwined, the economic is being seen as a proxy for the political.
- Resistance, which must be understood within the context of a neoliberal consumer culture, in which subjects are empowered to act through consumption choices.
- People vote with their wallets more than they actually vote
-Under 65% of Americans voted in the 2024 election

Question 3

Back to PACT model

Answer 3

Consumption is increasingly becoming a social sphere where voices can be raised, heard and acknowledged
- Especially true in an era of responsibilisation, where consumers are positioned the centre of the moral marketplace.

Question 4

Consumer power is not new

Answer 4

MAGA branded merch as a sign of political affilitation during the Trump era

Question 5

Diverse ideologies and practices

Answer 5

• Buycotts
• Boycotts (Klein et al)
• Anti consumption

Question 6

Consumer advocacy

Answer 6

What is consumer advocacy?
Express dissatisfaction with product/service to a wider audience

An extremely individualised/small scale form of consumer activism. Made EXTREMELY effective by the rise of the internet and social media platforms

Serves two major purposes:
1. Warn other consumers against buying certain products, brands, or services
2. Forces companies/service providers to address issues in real-time (in the modern era)

Question 7

Consumer activism

Answer 7

Organised consumption or, more often, nonconsumption that is collective, oriented toward the public sphere. (Glickman, 2009)

Question 8

Collective social action

Answer 8

-protests
-boycotts
-petitions
-legal challenges

These acts are often tied to an increased responsibilisation, and a recognition that collective action is more powerful than individual decisions

Question 9

Role of social media in collective action

Answer 9

Collective action is increasingly facilitated by social media and digital platforms Media (both social and traditional) can be a ‘deployable resource’ that can help shape public opinion and reframe cultural thought (Van de Donk et al. 2004)
* Social media/digital platforms also allow for formations of
communities and solidarities across temporal and spatial boundaries. Connects people who share similar ethos who might not otherwise
have the ability to organise (Van de Donk et al. 2004)

Question 10

Example of boycott

Answer 10

H&M faces customer boycott over ‘racist’ hoodie advertising campaign were an apology of the brand to customers was not accepted. The advert featured a little boy of black racial identity wearing a hoodie which said coolest monkey in the jungle

Question 11

Drivers for participation in consumer boycotts

Answer 11

Perceived participation of others - e.g., more people taking part may
generate increased social pressure or may affect perceptions of boycott
efficacy
* Credibility of a call to boycott - both in terms of expertise and
trustworthiness
* Consumer’s level of involvement in boycott’s underlying cause
* Perceived likelihood of success
* Consumer commitment to the bran

Question 12

Benefits/costs of boycotts

Answer 12

Benefits:
- Make a difference, the utility gain from increasing the probability that the firms ends the practice
- Signalling action to the firm and others
- Self enhancements
- Feeling good about themselves and avoiding feelings of guilt

Costs:
- Forgoing a preferred good/service
- Perception of whether the individual contribution will play any role in achieving the collective action goal

Question 13

Effects of boycotts on companies/brands

Answer 13

• Loss in sales
• Consumers trial and switch to competitors products/services
• Development of negative attitudes toward the brand

Question 14

Voluntary simplicity

Answer 14

(Shaw and Moraes, 2009)
- Individuals who opt, out of free will- rather than being coerced by poverty, government, austerity programmes or being imprisoned - to limit expenditures on consumer goods and services, and to cultivate non-materialistic sources of satisfaction

Question 15

5 dimensions of voluntary simplicity

Answer 15

1. Material simplicity - consuming fewer (but not necessarily cheaper) products and services. Favouring items which are resource efficient, durable, not mass-produced and have a smaller ecological impact
2. Self-determination - Desire to assume greater control over personal destiny. Reduced reliance on large coorporations. Looking to your own values to guide you rather than being driven by the media or the expectations of others.
3. Ecological awareness - Recognition of the interdependency of people and resources.
4. Human scale - a desire for smaller-scale corporations
5. Personal growth - a desire to explore and develop the inner life