Consumption

Consumption Definition

Consumption refers to the ways in which individuals utilise goods and services. While sociology traditionally focused on production, interest in consumption has increased significantly since the 1980s, driven by changes in societal leisure and a renewed focus on lifestyle as a determinant of social class. This shift has made consumption a major area of sociological research, encompassing patterns across different social groups, the sociology of food and cuisine, and the study of material culture within advanced capitalist societies.

Historical Development and Theoretical Shift

The sociology of consumption emerged rapidly in the 1980s, focusing substantively on the material culture of contemporary capitalist societies. Proponents argue that this approach offers an alternative focus to traditional Marxist concerns centred on production, alienation, and class. They contend that by examining mass consumption, analysts can move beyond viewing the factory or workplace as the sole site of human experience, shifting attention instead to what it means to own, use, and customise products. This shift encouraged studies into areas like leisure, fashion, tourism, and niche marketing, though many of these echo earlier themes such as commodity fetishism and materialism.

Core Contention

The central unifying theme in the literature on consumption is that it shapes social relations and meanings in a manner comparable to production. Sociologists view consumption as translating an object from being merely a symbol of price value into an artefact imbued with specific, inseparable connotations.

Consumption Cleavages and Inequality

In Britain and other European contexts, research has focused on the novel “consumption cleavage” between those who acquire necessities through the market and those reliant on state provision. Critics argue that this division is reducible to traditional relations of production. However, others contend that state intervention introduces a new dimension of inequality, particularly concerning public services like housing and healthcare. Furthermore, differential consumption is linked to social stratification; for instance, Pierre Bourdieu demonstrated how cultural taste (in areas like food or decoration) reflects and reinforces class positions, acting as a mechanism for establishing privilege.

Symbolic Dimension

The focus has increasingly moved from the instrumental use-values of goods to their symbolic dimension—their sign-values. Consumption is understood as a means by which individuals express identity, often captured by the idea that individuals “choose” their consumption patterns. This process relates to the fluidity of postmodern identity and involves the creation of selfhood through material engagement.

Contemporary Discourse

The moral evaluation of consumer behaviour has been contested since the 1980s. The view of the consumer as a passive victim of mass production has been challenged by evidence of active engagement with goods. This led to the importance of consumer social movements and associations, which have pushed for political recognition through concepts such as consumer sovereignty, choice, and rights.