Research Paper Proposal – Consumption & Identity for North American Youth

Essay Proposal

ABSTRACT  
            The aim of this essay is to demonstrate the role of consumption practices in the formulation of identity among young North Americans. This argument rests on the premise that acts of consumption, or the use of commodities, serves what James Carey (1989) calls the ‘ritual’ function of communication, the end of which is less the transmission of information from one individual to another, but the collective construction of social reality. Identity, as will be argued, is not a concrete essence proper to each individual, but rather exists as an understanding between individuals as the product of this ritualistic mode of communication. Consumption practices, then, like any form of communication, serve not only the affirmation and representation of self-image, but are also important signifiers in the negotiation of identity on several levels. Cautious of undermining the significance of the individual in the development of their own identity, there is a treatment of how individuals use consumption as a means of representing themselves, but this will be taken as alongside and in dialogue with the discourse of identity within and between particular social groups, and the relation of these categories to the codes of hegemonic society at large.

 

OUTLINE
Section 1: Introduction of the theoretical frameworks to be used, including so far James Carey’s ritual model, elements of Laura Portwood-Stacer’s (2013) typology for analysing anti-consumption practices, and the schemata for consumption’s association with identity highlighted by Celia Lury (2011). Statement of thesis, specifically that the employment of consumption as an identity marker is a fundamentally ritualistic process, and that the identity produced is the negotiated product of all parties involved in the communication.
Section 2: Using the ideas of both Lury and Portwood-Stacer, as well as Marx’s notion of commodity fetishism, this section looks into how individuals treat objects as having certain properties in relation to identity, both by seeking out commodities which they feel reflect them and by imbuing things with personal association. This is not, however, considered in a vacuum, and the relations between this level of meaning-construction and the broader social codes and systems must be considered.
Section 3: Here we look at the level of identity construction within the peer group – Portwood-Stacer’s work is indispensable, as well as that of Barthes (1972) in terms of how certain things and practices come to have signification within particular subsets of society which may sometimes be at odds with individual or hegemonic understandings of the meanings of those same things and practices.
Section 4: Again employing Barthes, in addition to Stuart Hall (1997) and others, this section looks at some broad social meanings ascribed to commodities and consumption practices.
Section 5: While this theme will be threaded throughout the essay, this block is devoted to pulling together the complements and contradictions of the different levels on which consumption plays a role in the formulation of identity.
Conclusion: Review and restate thesis and main points, point towards potential further research.

Bibliography (Tentative)

Barthes, Roland. (1972). Mythologies. New York: Noonday Press

Brace-Govan, Janice, & de Burgh-Woodman, Hélène. (2008). Sneakers and Street Culture: A Postcolonial Analysis of Marginalized Cultural Consumption. Consumption, Markets & Culture, 11(2), 93-112.

Carey, James. (1989) A Cultural Approach to Communications. In Communication as Culture. Boston: Allen Unwin, 1989. Print.

Fraser, Nancy. “Rethinking the Public Sphere: A Contribution to the Critique of Actually Existing Democracy,” The Phantom Public Sphere. Ed. Bruce Robbins. Minneapolis: the University of Minnesota Press, 1993. Print.

Lury, Celia. (2011). Consumer Culture. 2nd Ed. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press. (Ch.1 Material Culture and Consumer Culture, 9-31).

Marx, Karl. (1978). Capital. In Robert C. Tucker (Trans.), The Marx-Engels Reader. New York: Norton.

Portwood-Stacer, Laura. (2013). Lifestyle Politics and Radical Activism. New York: Bloomsbury Press

 

Hall, Stuart. (1997). The Work of Representation. In Stuart Hall (Ed.), Representation. London: Sage Publications.

Williams, Raymond. (2009). Advertising: The Magic System. In Matthew P. McAllister & Joseph Turow (Eds.), The Advertising and Consumer Culture Reader. London: Routledge.

 

 

Object – Blog Post II

The object: Cigarettes  

1. What meanings are commonly associated with this object? List several.
Disdain for one’s own health,
Addictive personality/weakness of will
Disregard of financial sensibility

2. What ideologies or cultural values (stylization) might be reflected in these meanings? What systems of power are implicated in these meanings?

This isn’t that difficult to untangle: Cigarettes are, quite frankly, bad for one’s health and no great shakes for the health of those who are around them for any prolonged period of time. Everyone knows that they shouldn’t smoke, but many of us still do. Thus the cultural value of concern for one’s own well-being is in direct opposition to the smoking of cigarettes. Lack of will in this respect is then tied to a general cultural tendency to deplore indolence – a smoker is clearly more or less prone to chemical dependence which may extend to include more immediately destructive vices, and with every drag is demonstrating a lack of will to do what they very well know sooner or later must be done.

3. Have the meanings of this object shifted over time? (objects have social lives) If so, what historical developments do you think account for the shift?

The shift of signification over time has been largely due to developments in medical science and an increased health-consciousness throughout society. In the 50s, say, much more of the population smoked – it was simply what was done. The different brands may have acted as class signifiers (how much can you afford to spend on each pack?) but tobacco use itself was not a particularly distinguishing characteristic. 

4. Would this object hold different meanings in different cultures around the world (or different subcultures within Canada)? What other meanings might it hold?
The meaning is extremely age-sensitive within Canadian culture. When I started smoking in highschool, it was seen as a ‘cool’ thing to do, signaling (in an ironically infantile fashion) a certain maturity, rebelliousness, and independence. But of course, this meaning is mostly accepted by other smokers who are looking to represent the same things through the act. 

Screenabout – The Googlesphere

For the screenabout assignment I chose to focus on websites under Google’s ownership, specifically Google search, News, Gmail and Youtube. My general realisation in all of this is that for the most part all of the ads were unremarkable and/or irrelevant, which I found surprising given that Google is a corporation which readily and unabashedly admits to tailoring its advertisements to particular users. What was more interesting than the commercials were the implicit advertisements – unsurprisingly, Google favours its own subsidiaries (ie YouTube) in search results, even over the platforms of the contents’ original owners and producers. Gmail ads by and large were a blur of text with a very vague relation to the content of the email at hand, and as such are shown overlayed over one another in the collage. I had honestly expected far more effective advertising practices from a company like Google, and I was simultaneously surprised and relieved to see that they generally fell flat on their face in this regard.
Thanks to my friend Matthew Grey-Noble for helping me get photoshop to do what I needed it to.

Robert Young – Introduction

Hey all, my name’s Robert and I’m in second years Coms/Cultural Studies. Originally from Toronto, I moved to Montreal to pursue this program. 

On the whole I’d say that I probably spend more of my time screwing around with friends than anything else, but reading (for school and otherwise) comes in a close second. 

I’m in this class basically because I find the function of advertising in society an interesting question, particularly with respect to considering to what extent advertising and culture mutually impact eachother. 

Probably my favourite piece of advertising/marketing/promotion is the campaign for Nine Inch Nails’ concept album Year Zero which is set in an apocalyptic future-America. The political themes of both the promotional game and the album itself are great, and in a lot of ways the advertising campaign is as much a piece of art as the album. More found here: http://www.ninwiki.com/Timeline_of_Year_Zero_Discovery

Five things that make learning difficult would be…
1) A lack of coherence between assigned readings and class lectures/discussion. 
2) Not creating an engaging atmosphere
3) Vague expectations
4) Lack of conviction in delivery of information
5) Excessive dogmatism

Five things which facilitate learning…
1) Clear relation of themes to facts or opinions in class content
2) Clear expectations
3) Enthusiasm
4) Presentation of contending viewpoints
5) Effective use of class time