Description
Book SynopsisThis edited collection explores the notion of agency by tracing the role and activities of consumers from the pre-Internet age into the possible future. Using an overview of the historical creation of consumer identity, Consumer Identities demonstrates that active consumption is not merely a product of the digital age; it has always been a means by which a person can develop identity. Grounded in the acknowledgement that identity is a constructed and contested space, the authors analyse emerging dynamics in contemporary consumerism, ongoing tensions of structure and agency in consumer identities and the ways in which identity construction could be influenced in the future. By exploring consumer identity through examples in popular culture, the authors have created a scholarly work that will appeal to industry professionals as well as academics.
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements
Introduction
Section I
Branding desire: Strategies of consumer affectation in early Classical Hollywood film
The PushmiPullu of fandom
MySpace music’s pivotal role in the digitalisation of music culture
Section II: Emerging dynamics in contemporary consumerism
A qualitative comparison of Mad Men fans in New Zealand and Italy
‘This is so bad, we have to watch it’: Acquiring subcultural capital through oppositional viewing strategies
The cannibals: Consuming celebrity through digital mourning
Brick by brick: De/reconstructing the children’s animated film genre
Section III: Ongoing tensions of structure and agency in consumer identities
I protest! A postcolonial critique of media fan activism in a globalised world
Big data and Twitter: Finding the stepping stones in consumer communications
Ethical consumerism in the emerging EU digital contract legislation
About the contributors
About the editors
