PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to offer a new perspective on resistance and anti‐consumption literature by relating it to consumer cynicism.Design/methodology/approachThe paper proceeds to a conceptual deconstruction of consumer cynicism by comparing the contemporary meaning of the term with the original signification of cynicism, contrasting the psychological approach with the philosophical one. This perspective sheds light on disparate forms of consumer cynicism found in previous research.FindingsFour different figures of consumption related to cynicism were distinguished in this paper. Defensive cynicism and offensive cynicism are psychological tools used to neutralize persuasion attempts or divert marketing techniques. Subversive cynicism and ethical cynicism, which are reminiscences of cynicism in Ancient Greece, challenge the consumerist ideology and even propose an alternative ethics.Originality/valuePrior research on consumer cynicism has focused on the defensive psychological dimension of the concept, limiting it to a coping device for deceived consumers. Three other facets have been explored in this paper and provide a broader framework that can account for the disparate manifestations observed in the resistance and anti‐consumption literature. This new conceptualization of consumer cynicism could also explain why consumers' disappointment with private consumption does not always lead to public involvement.

Résumé Les techniques de neutralisation, qui permettent aux consommateurs d’accomplir des pratiques déviantes tout en restant attachés à la norme de référence, sont mal connues. Nous montrons, dans le cas du téléchargement illégal, qu’il s’agit d’un assemblage discursif autonome, articulé autour de trois stratégies défensives (déresponsabilisation neutralisatrice, neutralisation pragmatique, neutralisation idéologique), et supportant la contradiction interne.

The process of neutralization of normative pressure by consumers, which allows the performance of deviant practices while maintaining the attachment to the norm, has not been sufficiently studied. Our analysis, in the case of illegal downloading, shows that consumers produce an autonomous discursive set, articulated around three defensive strategies (disempowerment as neutralizing, pragmatic neutralization, ideological neutralization) and accept internal contradiction.

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