Potential research directions in the sociology of consumption

Abstract

In the course of the history of sociology, the need of a new paradigm has emerged in the 80s – the consumption orientation –, i.e. the conflict between the producer and the consumer became the new major conflict of contemporary society. At this time the basic model of researches is the consumer society consisting of clusters of consuming micro-cultures. Typical research topics are: mode, body, consuming, and household economy. Publications of postmodern theoreticians (Lyotard, Jameson, Baudrillard) have given additional impulse. According to postmodern consumption sociology, subjects of consumption are not products or services, but the meaning they stand for. For the individuals of the postmodern society, consumption is the expression of social outstanding and individual well-being. Consumption as expression of taste enables to establish and retain social links. The most prominent representatives of consumption sociology are the British Colin Campbell and the American George Ritzer. Regarding the Hungarian sociology, some publications of Ágnes Utasi and Elemér Hankiss can be listed here. While the sociology of consumption aims to model the structure of society by researching the consumption behavior; marketing describes consumption behavior to sociological variables (e.g. life style). The most well-known research models are EuroLifeStyle and Target Group Index. These have already been incorporated into corporate practices of marketing planning. We can expect further results from the combination of the two different research approaches.