Granì (Mar 2015)
Consumer behavior as a mechanism for identity
Abstract
In the modern ukrainian society consumption process plays a major role in the functioning mechanisms of social differentiation and identification, and, consequently, generates consumer ideology as ideological space. Consumption becomes an attribute of inequality, social and cultural practices. And not only is the quality of the determinants of social status, but also an indicator of the cultural level of the social system. Consumer behavior is this type of behavior in which the ability to meet specific personal needs replaced them additional social significance associated with hypertrophy of evaluation functions in private consumption. One and the same benefit, including household interior, car, trips, etc., used for some consumers as means satisfaction of needs for other is means of their inner world, and for other is the embodiment of social status indication they do not live «worse than others». A person can be considered as a carrier of certain social status, consuming goods and services. Consumption, respectively, enables them to play a social role, such as employee, representative youth subculture, head of the company. To support all these identities are necessary consumption of relevant products and services. Given this vital question is presence of ukrainian society manifestations of contemporary consumer culture in which consumption can be considered as socialcommunicative function that has qualitative and quantitative characteristics and is mechanism for constructing person’s identity.
