Verkorte samenvatting CHL
Consumption as well as goods and services are more than just buying. Holds certain values, beliefs.
Linear economy: from recourse extraction to waste
Collaborative consumption: consumer is also a provider. Swapfiets, GOscooter.
Due to digitalisation, the role of consumers shifts:
Prosumption: interrelatedness of production and consumption
Prosumer: someone is a consumer but also a producer (zonnepanelen)
Socio-ecological theory and systems science: Consumption comes from patterns, physical setting and
society at large.
Taste and social constructions
Taste = evaluation. Why do we like things? Has a lot to do with social constructions
Has to do with a relative position (in society). Known by dualism: imitation and distinction
Imitation: members which belong to the same class adopt a same behaviour and is
reproduced
Distinction: forces people to differentiate from each other, specifically from other classes.
In other words, taste can be understood as principal of classification.
Consumption reflects a social order, where good have a social significance.
o Social significance: goes beyond commercial value and utilitarian character. Products
have a meaning and belong to a certain group.
Habiturs (Bourdieu): milieu with collective consciousness
Other term, almost same meaning: social stratification
Closed stratification: class that you’re born in is the class you remain in, your whole life
Open stratification: class that you’re in is not determined by birth, but by achievement
Social inequality: unfairness and inequality in distribution of goods and services, systematically
created through processes in society.
Opportunity inequality: differences in freedom to achieve goals and potential
A lot depends on Socio-Economic Position (SEP): placement of persons/families based on capacity to
create/consume goods that are valued. Measured by (indicators for):
Compositional measure: education, income, employment status
Contractual measure: area-based, geographical. Neighbourhood, region
Consumption varies across education levels: unhealthy consumption and its consequences (obesity,
overweight) are higher for lower socio-economic groups. Because:
Physical and economical accessibility
o Physical: fast-food restaurants close to low socio-economic places
o Economical: price for healthy food differs in some countries/areas
Class and eating practices
o Meaning of food: rejection of plain foods
o Preparation: fresh versus prepared
o Parental-child relation:
Middle class tries to give their kids the most healthy options
Working class think it is own concern for kids
, Cultural capital: some tastes have a cultural meaning, a way of excluding others (kaviaar)
Bi-directional relation: food consumption influences social position. If kids don’t get enough food,
they won’t do well in school.
Consumption in different perspectives
Life course perspective: different attitudes and habits of consumption, throughout our life.
Childhood: role of children in consumption
Traditional: child brings money into household
Modern: child is consumer from birth
Commodification of childhood: excessive role of consumption in life of children. Role of
consumption becomes bigger.
Kidfluence: marketers target children in their advertisements
o Market tie-ins: adding a toy promoting a movies (happy meal)
o Trans-toying: giving food toy-like qualities: snoepringen, snoepketting
Pester power: children beg their parents for goods
Economy of dignity: kids want to feel included and therefore want products
Role of parents:
Symbolic deprivation: limit of consumption of children, but still largely fulfilling child’s
wishes out of concern for social exclusion (higher classes).
Symbolic indulgence: buy one single large gift that will be meaningful for a long time (lower
classes).
Adolescence and youth
Consumer tribes: groups in society. Studentenvereniging, sportvereniging. Possible to belong
to more than one group.
Brands play into subcultures to reach adolescents
Cool hunting: hiring younger people to research what is cool.
Adulthood
People delay adulthood more and more, so they save money for experiental experience:
extreme and unique experiences like traveling.
Eventually, marriage and kids. Leads to consumption decisions.
Next to kids, workplace place a big role in this phase of life. Place of social comparison.
Older adults
Ageism: negative attitude towards older adults. Beliefs elderly are unable to contribute to
society.
Brands play into elderly as stereotypic: health conditions and physical limitations
Giddens
Structure and agency:
Structure: patterns that organize social life. Fixed by society
Agency: extent to which individuals are seen as having capacity to think and make decisions
independent
Consumption as well as goods and services are more than just buying. Holds certain values, beliefs.
Linear economy: from recourse extraction to waste
Collaborative consumption: consumer is also a provider. Swapfiets, GOscooter.
Due to digitalisation, the role of consumers shifts:
Prosumption: interrelatedness of production and consumption
Prosumer: someone is a consumer but also a producer (zonnepanelen)
Socio-ecological theory and systems science: Consumption comes from patterns, physical setting and
society at large.
Taste and social constructions
Taste = evaluation. Why do we like things? Has a lot to do with social constructions
Has to do with a relative position (in society). Known by dualism: imitation and distinction
Imitation: members which belong to the same class adopt a same behaviour and is
reproduced
Distinction: forces people to differentiate from each other, specifically from other classes.
In other words, taste can be understood as principal of classification.
Consumption reflects a social order, where good have a social significance.
o Social significance: goes beyond commercial value and utilitarian character. Products
have a meaning and belong to a certain group.
Habiturs (Bourdieu): milieu with collective consciousness
Other term, almost same meaning: social stratification
Closed stratification: class that you’re born in is the class you remain in, your whole life
Open stratification: class that you’re in is not determined by birth, but by achievement
Social inequality: unfairness and inequality in distribution of goods and services, systematically
created through processes in society.
Opportunity inequality: differences in freedom to achieve goals and potential
A lot depends on Socio-Economic Position (SEP): placement of persons/families based on capacity to
create/consume goods that are valued. Measured by (indicators for):
Compositional measure: education, income, employment status
Contractual measure: area-based, geographical. Neighbourhood, region
Consumption varies across education levels: unhealthy consumption and its consequences (obesity,
overweight) are higher for lower socio-economic groups. Because:
Physical and economical accessibility
o Physical: fast-food restaurants close to low socio-economic places
o Economical: price for healthy food differs in some countries/areas
Class and eating practices
o Meaning of food: rejection of plain foods
o Preparation: fresh versus prepared
o Parental-child relation:
Middle class tries to give their kids the most healthy options
Working class think it is own concern for kids
, Cultural capital: some tastes have a cultural meaning, a way of excluding others (kaviaar)
Bi-directional relation: food consumption influences social position. If kids don’t get enough food,
they won’t do well in school.
Consumption in different perspectives
Life course perspective: different attitudes and habits of consumption, throughout our life.
Childhood: role of children in consumption
Traditional: child brings money into household
Modern: child is consumer from birth
Commodification of childhood: excessive role of consumption in life of children. Role of
consumption becomes bigger.
Kidfluence: marketers target children in their advertisements
o Market tie-ins: adding a toy promoting a movies (happy meal)
o Trans-toying: giving food toy-like qualities: snoepringen, snoepketting
Pester power: children beg their parents for goods
Economy of dignity: kids want to feel included and therefore want products
Role of parents:
Symbolic deprivation: limit of consumption of children, but still largely fulfilling child’s
wishes out of concern for social exclusion (higher classes).
Symbolic indulgence: buy one single large gift that will be meaningful for a long time (lower
classes).
Adolescence and youth
Consumer tribes: groups in society. Studentenvereniging, sportvereniging. Possible to belong
to more than one group.
Brands play into subcultures to reach adolescents
Cool hunting: hiring younger people to research what is cool.
Adulthood
People delay adulthood more and more, so they save money for experiental experience:
extreme and unique experiences like traveling.
Eventually, marriage and kids. Leads to consumption decisions.
Next to kids, workplace place a big role in this phase of life. Place of social comparison.
Older adults
Ageism: negative attitude towards older adults. Beliefs elderly are unable to contribute to
society.
Brands play into elderly as stereotypic: health conditions and physical limitations
Giddens
Structure and agency:
Structure: patterns that organize social life. Fixed by society
Agency: extent to which individuals are seen as having capacity to think and make decisions
independent
