In this article, we elaborate on various key ideas about consumption and consumer from a theoretical position that we have labeled "liberatory postmodernism." By unmasking the limitations of modernism that have to do with the onerous nature of its metanarratives and narrow conventionalism, we show that postmodern developments offer alternate visions of consumption processes that have an emancipatory potential. The analysis in our article begins with a discussion of the philosophical foundations of modernism and postmodernism followed by a cultural critique of modernism-exposing, for example, the modernist distinction between production and consumption and the privileging of production over consumption. We demonstrate how postmodernism is concerned with the reversing of the conditions of modernity and with a wide range of issues regarding the construction of the subject (i.e., the consumer), the role of the symbolic in consumption processes, the notion of the spectacularization of life, the creation of the hyperreal, and the cultural signification of fragmentation. We conclude the article with a proposal for an epistemology of consumption that subsumes scientific knowledge under a broader category of narrative knowledge and recognizes multivocality of consumption forms.

Liberatory Postmodernism and the Reenchantment of Consumption

While technology adoption in the workplace has been studied extensively, drivers of adoption in homes have been largely overlooked. This paper presents the results of a nation-wide, two-wave, longitudinal investigation of the factors driving personal computer (PC) adoption in American homes. The findings revealed that the decisions driving adoption and non-adoption were significantly different. Adopters were driven by utilitarian outcomes, hedonic outcomes (i.e., fun), and social outcomes (i.e., status) from adoption. Non-adopters, on the other hand, were influenced primarily by rapid changes in technology and the consequent fear of obsolescence. A second wave of data collection conducted six months after the initial survey indicated an asymmetrical relationship between intent and behavior, with those who did not intend to adopt a PC following more closely with their intent than those who intended to adopt one. We present important implications for research on adoption of technologies in homes and the workplace, and also discuss challenges facing the PC industry.

A longitudinal investigation of personal computers in homes: adoption determinants and emerging challenges

Identity plays a key role in virtual communities. In communication, which is the primary
activity, knowing the identity of those with whom you communicate is essential for
understanding and evaluating an interaction. Yet in the disembodied world of the virtual
community, identity is also ambiguous. Many of the basic cues about personality and social
role we are accustomed to in the physical world are absent. The goal of this chapter is to
understand how identity is established in an online community and to examine the effects
of identity deception and the conditions that give rise to it.

/pdf/identity-and-deception-in-the-virtual-community-yes8wubsem.pdf

Identity and deception in the virtual community

The extended self was proposed in 1988. Since it was formulated, many technological changes have dramatically affected the way we consume, present ourselves, and communicate. This conceptual update seeks to revitalize the concept, incorporate the impacts of digitization, and provide an understanding of consumer sense of self in today’s technological environment. It is necessarily a work in progress, for the digital environment and our behavior within it continue to evolve. But some important changes are already clear. Five changes with digital consumption are considered that impact the nature of self and the nature of possessions. Needed modifications and additions to the extended self are outlined, and directions for future research are suggested. The digital world opens a host of new means for self-extension, using many new consumption objects to reach a vastly broader audience. Even though this calls for certain reformulations, the basic concept of the extended self remains vital.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/10.1086/671052.pdf

Extended Self in a Digital World

We propose that consumers often make choices that diverge from those of others to ensure that they effectively communicate desired identities. Consistent with this identity‐signaling perspective, four studies illustrate that consumers are more likely to diverge from majorities, or members of other social groups, in product domains that are seen as symbolic of identity (e.g., music or hairstyles, rather than backpacks or stereos). In identity domains, participants avoided options preferred by majorities and abandoned preferences shared with majorities. The social group associated with a product influenced choice more in identity domains and when a given product was framed as identity relevant. People diverge, in part, to avoid communicating undesired identities.

/pdf/where-consumers-diverge-from-others-identity-signaling-and-t8nplls7cq.pdf

Where Consumers Diverge from Others: Identity Signaling and Product Domains

Acknowledgments Introduction Part I. History One. The Making of Modern Consumption Two. "Ever Dearer in Our Thoughts": Patina and the Representation of Status before and after the Eighteenth Century Three. Lois Roget: Curatorial Consumer in a Modern World Part II. Theory Four. Clothing as Language: An Object Lesson in the Study of the Expressive Properties of Material Culture Five. Meaning Manufacture and Movement in the World of Goods Part III. Practice Six. Consumer Goods, Gender Construction, and a Rehabilitated Trickle-down Theory Seven. The Evocative Power of Things: Consumer Goods and the Preservation of Hopes and Ideals Eight. Diderot Unitites and the Diderot Effect: Neglected Cultural Aspects of Consumption Nine. Consumption, Change, and Continuity Notes References Index

Culture and Consumption: New Approaches to the Symbolic Character of Consumer Goods and Activities

Sightings Preface: Entertainment Is Dead, Long Live Transformation IntroductionSection 1. Self-Transformation in a Popular Culture Section 2. Traditional Transformations Section 3. Status Transformations Section 4. Modern Transformations Section 5. Postmodern TransformationsConclusionAppendix: The Argument in a Single Page

Transformations: Identity Construction in Contemporary Culture

The American corporation- deaf and blind to the world around it- needs a new professional. It needs a Chief Culture Officer. Grant McCracken, an anthropologist who now trains some of the world's biggest companies and consulting firms, argues that the CCO would keep a finger on the pulse of contemporary cultural trends while developing a systematic understanding of the deep waves of culture in America and the world. The CCO would be the corporation's eyes and ears, allowing it to detect coming changes, even when they exist only as the weakest of signals. Trenchantly on point and bursting with insight and character, Chief Culture Officer is sure to expand your horizons- and your business.

Grant David McCracken

Papers

Culture and Consumption: New Approaches to the Symbolic Character of Consumer Goods and Activities

Culture and Consumption: New Approaches to the Symbolic Character of Consumer Goods and Activities

Transformations: Identity Construction in Contemporary Culture

Culture and Consumption: New Approaches to the Symbolic Character of Consumer Goods and Activities

Chief Culture Officer: How to Create a Living, Breathing Corporation