Consumption

Identity, Consumer Society, and Mass Culture

The first social theorist to have broken with the productivist logic, although not completely [Page 133]abandoning it, was Veblen. Veblen is noted in this regard for his identification of the connection between identity and consumption. The underlying premise of his analysis is that for some groups, consumption is not merely a passive moment wherein individuals simply satisfy their appetites. Instead, consumption can assume an active mode with significant social implications. More precisely, using the consumptive behavior of the upper classes of his time, Veblen showed how status and consumption patterns are connected. In demonstration of this connection, Veblen noted that members are actively involved in the two-pronged dimensions of “conspicuous waste,” namely, “conspicuous consumption” and “conspicuous leisure.” Whereas the former involves engagement in palpable waste of time and effort, the latter refers to eye-catching waste of goods. These two processes complement one another: Active consumers need leisure time to cultivate appropriate dispositions in order to understand the quality and hierarchy of the goods to be consumed.

The fundamental feature of conspicuous consumption and conspicuous leisure is not that they are acts involving waste only. More importantly, in tune with the idea that wealth and power are what they are by virtue of the capacity of their possessors’ ability to display the political significance of their power and the value of the goods they own, conspicuous waste serves as a critical instrument in a status-making process. For instance, through conspicuous leisure, members of a class express their disdain for instrumental labor; thereby, their nonlabor serves as a marker of higher distinction. On the other hand, conspicuous consumption pronounces social status by amplifying the utilization of goods that are considered to be the visible signs of a high position. Neither form of conspicuous waste accomplishes its intended goal in the same way and at all times. The extent to which the two modes of waste are used is determined by “advertising expediency.” In communities where the size of the group is small, the most effective way of reaching the group for which the display is intended is conspicuous leisure. In contrast, in highly differentiated societies, the most expedient method is conspicuous consumption, because it is the best available means to reach a wide range of individuals. All the same, whether it is in small groups or in highly differentiated societies, conspicuous waste can have an important consequence for society as a whole. Over time, a “norm of reputability” can be created in which the behavior patterns of the uppers are legitimized, and those who are below them can hardly afford to violate “the accepted code.”

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