Studentshare
Subjects
Miscellaneous
Identify and illustrate some of the dominant cultural values of modern consumer societies

Identify and illustrate some of the dominant cultural values of modern consumer societies - Essay Example

Summary

But the working rationale behind consumer culture is determined by widespread dissemination of products and services at the international level. In…

Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing

GRAB THE BEST PAPER92.5% of users find it useful

Identify and illustrate some of the dominant cultural values of modern consumer societies

Read Text Preview

Subject: Miscellaneous
Type: Essay
Level: Undergraduate
Pages: 5 (1250 words)
Downloads: 2
Author: braedenchamplin

Extract of sample "Identify and illustrate some of the dominant cultural values of modern consumer societies"

Download file to see previous pages

Moreover, it is still a debatable issue whether modern consumerism has espoused globalised or localised philosophies (Merz et al. 2008: 166-182). Yet, literature on this topic has focused on finding the disparities between theoretical knowledge and its practical implementations. The main difficulty in arriving any conclusive model of consumer culture in modern societies is that social values and systems are too generic to hint at any distinctive features of consumerism. On one hand, the 21st century is market-centric.

The pervasive market trends have engulfed everything material or immaterial. Theories of branding, especially those involving adolescent psychologies, clearly show how cultural propensities are directly regulated by the market economy (Naim et al. 2008: 627-640). On the other hand, this market driven economy fails to justify behaviours such as religious preferences or jingoism (Slater 1997: 24). This essay strives to discuss the key factors that can be held as probable identifiers of the dominant cultural values that underpin modern consumer societies.

Culture is an abstract term for a number of social, economic and behaviorist aspects. The process of locating cultural attributes in any given society is extremely complex, for the notion of culture is highly de-territorialised due to regular intermingling of a diverse array of cultures across domestic as well as international borders. Hence, there is a pluralistic dimension to the study of ethnology in the context of consumerism (Craig and Douglas 2006: 322-342). The counter-culture movements in the 1960s may be examined in order to explore the subtleties of social hegemony and its impact on human culture.

Market oriented economic practices in the modern era have not diffused into the realm of mass consumerism. Such practices are cultural properties of the elites who rule the economy of any given society. The mass, on the contrary, are compelled to using what is

...Download file to see next pages Read More

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Identify and illustrate some of the dominant cultural values of modern consumer societies

The implications of culture on development of regional marketing strategies

It would therefore be a question to consider whether or not the cultural values of a region, which are just as widespread and more deep-rooted, influence consumer consumption and the consumers' responses to the market as well.... The study performed by Merrilees, McKenzie and Miller was one that was based on the differences between consumer responses to the practice of retailing across different cultures.... It was found that the "cultural factors seem to be important in explaining the differences across the two countries....

15 Pages (3750 words) Essay

Issues in Researching and Developing Media Projects

The European mass media, today, through its multicultural approach, largely aims to eliminate or reduce the cultural misunderstandings through representation of culturally diverse communities, as opposed to the historical approach, of merely educating the migrants about the way of life of their host societies.... The world in recent times has been witness to large scale assimilation and amalgamation of various cultures leading to a phenomenon called ‘cultural pluralism' where communities belonging to socially and ethnically diverse backgrounds have integrated into the mainstream and… Such cultural pluralism alternatively referred to as multiculturalism has been driven by advertising in the mass media – be it films, television adverts or books. The European media has always shown a well balanced approach towards depiction of The portrayal of multicultural aspect of European society commenced during the 1960s in Britain and France with the key motive of creating awareness among the migrant populations regarding the host society's customs and policies....

8 Pages (2000 words) Research Paper

Values of Gaelic Literature

some of the influential poets of Gaelic literature demonstrate a deep connection with cultural values.... The author of the essay "values of Gaelic Literature" states that Gaelic prose and poetry are largely regarded as creative illustrations of the cultural values and attitudes in a variety of forms.... nbsp; The poetry celebrates the cherished norms and values of the society such as the place of the family as a fundamental unit within the Gaelic frame of reference....

9 Pages (2250 words) Essay

Non Verbal Communication in Human Social Interaction

Through globalization, multinational corporations influence the values of their employees and customers.... In most instances, cultural individualistic societies are made up of a diverse population exhibiting low communication and low power distance characteristics.... The author of this essay "Non-Verbal Communication in Human Social Interaction" discusses whether globalization promotes cultural individuality or it promotes sameness among cultures....

10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

Strategy Discourse and the Role of Strategy in Social Responsibility and Sustainability

It satisfies the ethical consumption behaviors and expectations of the consumer.... Polman opened discourse with influential members of the consumer Goods Forum to agree to abide by practices related to sustainable palm oil production, an issue that had deforested many regions.... The Sustainable Living Plan will not be effective without contributions by vendors, competitors, and even consumer markets, something that requires discourse and narrative to achieve effectively....

9 Pages (2250 words) Assignment

New Culture and Technology

In Chapter 11 of his book cultural Studies entitled “The Culture of New Communications Technology”, Lewis (2002) discusses the interaction between culture, history, and new technology, and how such interactions impact on the formation of culture.... As he argues, contrary to conventional cultural analysis where technology is understood in terms of its deterministic character in defining history and future social and cultural trends, a proper understanding of the role of new technologies in the formation of culture requires moving away from “periodization analysis” towards the study of “ideological and discursive disputes … associated with new communications technology” (p....

10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

What Jewelry Talks

For instance, some cultures and societies regulate the rules involved in the wearing of jewelry.... hellip; cultural symbolism, matters of status, class identity and various other factors often relate to the significance of jewelry among individuals and groups.... rom a cultural point of view, pieces of jewelry are usually considered as material aspects of culture.... Beyond the questions of aesthetics, jewelry is often regarded in terms of its significance in identifying individuals and placing them within definite identities and cultural associations....

6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

A Critical Assessment of the Predominant HR Cultural and Institutional Features in Germany and the UK

Individualism is considered a type of cultural characteristic in which the predominant values are ensuring well-being and utility for the self or direct kin in a traditional nuclear family context (Hofstede, Hofstede and Minkov 2010; Hollinshead 2009; Hofstede 2001; Hofstede 1984).... This essay examines the critical cultural characteristics within Germany and the UK that influence the development of HR policy.... nbsp; … As such, when comparing cultural differences and similarities between the United Kingdom and Germany, from an institutional context, it is realized that corporatist evolutions in Germany serve as substantial influencers of human resources and human relations policies that differ from the United Kingdom....

10 Pages (2500 words) Term Paper