D2L Chapter Consumption Flashcards
What were George Ritzers thoughts on consumption?
Consumption in sociology-not represented enough
What are Marx’s means of production?
Main social means needed for producing wealth
What are Marx’s means of consumption?
Main social means by which people consume what is produced.
What did Thorstein Veblen observe?
Observed and critiqued consumption patterns
What is conspicuous consumption?
Purchase/use of possessions/services primarily for the purpose of demonstrating wealth and status. Engaged in by wealthy class-business people who make money from labour of others but do not contribute to economic productivity.
What is pecuniary emulation?
Copying expensive spending habits of the wealthy when you do not have the finances to do so.
What was Jean Baudrillard’s theory?
The things we buy say a lot about who we are. Any object has value attached in 4 different ways; use value, exchange value, symbolic value and sign value.
Affluence Hypothesis
Having a comfortable large disposable income. Consumption habits of western societies are more socially significant than those of people in less affluent countries.
What did Ronald Inglehart notice?
Change in values and priorities of people in times of relative economic security and prosperity. More concerned with non-material, quality of life issues.
What is the debt-to-income ratio?
Measure of households debt compared with households income after tax. Expressed as % of income made up of household debt.
Embourgeoisement Thesis
When working class begins to adopt consumption patters and tastes of the bourgeois- loss of class consciousness
Class Consciousness
Understanding of what is in the best interests of their class-creates false consciousness.
What did Ferdynand Zweig study?
Workers in an affluent society
Consumption as Communication Thesis
Acts of consumption have socially significant symbolic meanings
Consumption Reductionism
Reducing study of people to the study of solely consumption patterns, fails to take into account social factors
Cohort
Group of people who share a common statistical trait
Ethic of Consumption
Celebrates ability to spend
How did elite consumption turn into mass consumption?
Luxuries once reserved for the rich became consumption for the masses
What did Marshall Sahlins discover?
Original affluent society-hunter gatherer cultures, material needs are few. Affluence=time rich, have disponsable time.
Branding
Sociological term-use of marketing to establish certain brands as essential in identity formation and establishing individuals as part of specific groups.
Pack-aged rebel
Person who tries to establish themselves as part of a counter-cultural group, actual rebellion comes with social cost.
What did Naomi Klein discover?
Brand bullies- aggressiveness of companies in marketing their products towards young people
Technological Fetishism
Making recently developed technology the object of uncritical adoration
Planned Obselescence
Product designed to last for short amount of time so consumers will crave and purchase newer versions
Fair Trade
Supports workers in developing countries, promotes fair wages, safe working and living conditions, equity for women, elimination of child labour.
What are the 2 meanings of consumerism?
- Societal promotion of need to purchase goods and services
2. Consumer activism: Practices aimed at protecting consumers from being exploited by sellers.
What are needs in a consumption based society?
Things we want are perceived as things we need (manufactured needs) keeps economy stable and growing.
What is the difference between competitive consumption and comparitive consumption?
Competitive: Who has better stuff?
Comparitive: Modern, compares to celebrities.
How many credit cards does the average Canadian own?
3
Average debt to income ratio in Canada in 2012?
165.8
