Consumerism

Abstract

The article investigates how consumerism is perceived as an unremarkable part of quotidian existence, as a patriotic duty at various moments, as an indicator of social class, and as a means of semiotic self-fashioning. In consumerism, the tension between the sumptuary restraint on conspicuous consumption, which characterized the early Protestant ethic, and the dependence of capitalism itself on boundless commodity circulation, emerges again and again. I investigate how certain forms of consumerism, relating to excess and improper storage, are reclassified in medical terms. I also investigate modes of strategic consumerism, which try to bridge the gap between producer and consumer, and how certain forms of performative labor are themselves consumed. I close with a few reflections on sites for future study: shopping as a form of underrecognized labor, and an auto-ethnographic turn for academics, inspecting the reach of consumerism into academic practices and universities themselves.

Realizing consumers’ existential dreams via product marketing and mixed reality: a perspective based on affective neuroscience theories

“…Consumerism, characterized by excess, waste, connectivity, fair trade, and the semiotics of self-formation, enables the realization of the “existential dream” due to the symbolic nature of consumer culture and the distinctiveness that marketing and mass media bestow upon commodities ( Meneley, 2018 ). Once an individual’s basic needs are met, symbolic rather than functional consumption becomes prominent, serving as a tool for restoring self-identity and enhancing the coherence of their self-concept ( Yu et al, 2020 ).…”

“…Consequently, a consumer's existential dream should primarily be expressed as an inherent desire for individuals to actualize their potential, seek life's meaning, and cultivate positive possessions. commodities (Meneley, 2018). Once an individual's basic needs are met, symbolic rather than functional consumption becomes prominent, serving as a tool for restoring self-identity and enhancing the coherence of their self-concept (Yu et al, 2020).…”

Food Festivals and Local Development in Italy

“…Food is an object of contemporary desire that stirs affects and mobilizes people in this age of consumerism and overabundance (Corvo, x 2015; Jameson, 2015;Meneley, 2018;Schulp, 2015). Desire is no longer fuelled by the fear of hunger or the experience of insecurity (Artoni, 1999;Camporesi, 1981;Cocchiara, 1980;Grimaldi, 2012).…”

The Little Aunt against Marie Kondo: semiotic reflections n consumption and religion

“…Em 2017, Linguaggi del consumo: segni, luoghi, pratiche, identità, de Marianna Boero, ofereceu uma análise aprofundada da semiótica na publicidade e no comportamento do consumidor. O artigo "Consumerism" de Anne Meneley (2018) ofereceu um exame abrangente das dimensões socioculturais, econômicas e éticas do consumismo. O ano de 2019 registrou duas contribuições significativas para a área: o capítulo "Meaningful objects and consumption", de Sophie Woodward, no Oxford handbook of consumption, que enfatizou a coagência de pessoas e objetos na criação de significados; e o artigo "The contribution of narrative semiotics of experiential imaginary to the ideation of new digital customer experiences" (Taupin, 2019), que destacou o papel da semiótica narrativa nas experiências digitais.…”