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One of the main goals in this study is to investigate how young children's identity formation and social relationships are depicted by today's consumer society.  In order to reach the goals of the study I also concentrated myself on questions regarding the reflection of symbolic aspects consumption in younger children's interaction and preschool-teachers' ideas about how and in what ways children's consumption patterns are created and developed nowadays. In order to answer the presented research questions I used the theoretical arguments of researchers in the field of pedagogy Gert Biesta in connection with the ideas and concepts of the consumer society characteristics developed by the sociologist Zygmunt Bauman. The thesis' methodological approach consists of a combination of semi-structured interviews with teachers and observations of children's interaction, which contributed to a systematic investigation of the thesis' problem area and served as a tool for obtaining answers to the research questions. The results demonstrate that consumption occupies a lot of space in young children's lives, which means that it greatly affects their social relationships today. Both consumption and knowledge of the known brands prove to be the child's path to the desired community on the one hand, and the children's way to the consumer world on the other (hand), which in turn points to an obvious dependence between children's consumption and their social relationships. The results also show that there is a tension between the perception of identity formation as preschool-policy-document on the one hand and the attitude of the identity prescribed by consumer society norms and regulations on the other. / Denna studie lyfter upp frågor som samtida föräldrar och pedagoger dagligen ställs inför. Dessa frågor behandlar barns tillvaro i dagens konsumtionssamhälle. Resultaten av flera vetenskapliga studier visar att samtida marknadsföring märkbart genomsyrar barns liv idag. Barndomen blir alltmer kommersialiserad av marknaden som med hjälp av kända konsumtionssymboler dagligen bygger en drömvärld bestående av sagolika figurer från barns fantasier. Denna värld har blivit samtida barns verklighet. Samtidigt pekar resultaten av ett antal studier på att den ekonomiska situationen i olika hushåll utmärks av en kraftigt växande klyfta då många familjer lever med små ekonomiska resurser vilket i sin tur innebär att det är långtifrån alla barn som ges plats i den sagolika bilden som marknaden målat ut. I samband med detta uppstår en fråga om vad som händer med de barn som inte har tillgång till kända konsumtionsvaror och hur denna situation påverkar deras relationer med omvärlden.  Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur yngre barns sociala relationer ser ut i dagens konsumtionssamhälle samt att ta reda på hur vissa förskolepedagoger resonerar kring yngre barns identitetskonstruktion i den samtida konsumtionsvärlden. Jag har också fokuserat på hur konsumtionens symboliska aspekter återspeglas i yngre barns interaktion och även på hur informanterna beskriver sin handlingsberedskap i relation till barns konsumtionsmönster och identitetskonstruktioner. Studiens resultat visar att konsumtion tar mycket plats i barns tillvaro vilket gör att den avsevärt påverkar deras sociala relationer idag. Det visar sig att barnen har omfattande kunskaper om samtida konsumtionssymboler som de ofta använder för att vinna uppmärksamhet och för att uppfattas som populära bland jämnåriga. På så sätt får de tillträde till en önskad gemenskap. Man kan även tala om barns investering i det egna sociala medlemskapet i form av konsumtion av populära konsumtionsvaror. Studien har även kunnat visa på ett rådande spänningsfält mellan den syn på identitetsskapande som förskolepedagogerna har och den inställning som konsumtionssamhällets normer och regler föreskriver vilket i sin tur pekar på behovet av utveckling av en mångfacetterad pedagogisk diskurs om barns utveckling och identitetsskapande i det samtida konsumtionssamhället. Samtidigt har denna studie belyst problematiken i de förhållningssätt som används i relation till värdegrundsfrågan på förskola och i förskoleklass. Detta faktum har även synliggjort behovet av ett nytt pedagogiskt förhållningssätt som ska bidra till utveckling av kritiskt tänkande kring konsumtionskultur och marknadsföringsfrågor hos barn som lever i den samtida konsumtionsvärlden.

This thesis concerns about the hidden problems of public sphere in contemporary society. Through social thinker, Zygmunt Bauman¡¦s liquid modernity theory, we can make sense for this topics,and uses Zygmunt Bauman¡¦s liquid modernity theory as the basis for analyzing.My basic proposition is that the public sphere is now in the predicament as the transition of modernity, and faces new challenges. Briefly speaking, the act of translating private troubles into public issues is in danger of falling into disuse and being forgotten. I primarily sum up three major causes to this situation: the forces of individualization, globalization, and consumption behavior of capitalism. I hope this research can help we think about public sphere issues and strengthen the awareness of the obligations of citizens and importance of their participating.

Due to the interdisciplinary nature of eco-labelling, the sense of the phenomenon itself is lost when studied in isolation. With this consideration, a balance of research between practical and theoretical approaches, between environmental sociology, environmental economics, international trade relations, consumer society, sustainability and marketing theory was explored. Eco-labelling has far-reaching ramifications in society, not just in the commercial relationship between producer and consumer, but in socio-cultural norms and values. It combines economic and social forces via the marketplace. The research of this paper focuses on 1) the socio-cultural aspects of eco-labelling, 2) the economic incentive which drives eco-labelling and 3) the global institutional structures which influence the eco-labelling dimension. Chapter 1 provides an overview of eco-labelling and introduces ecological modernization, the theoretical foundation of this paper. Chapter 2 is a summary of interviews which were conducted with eco-labelling managers around the world. Chapter 3 analyses the economic impact of eco-labelling, the effects on international trade and the environment, and how eco-labelling affects consumers and producers. Chapter 4 deals with the social context of eco-labelling, and the social paradigms of consumer society and sustainability, merging in the case of ecological modernization. Chapter 5 looks at opportunities and challenges to eco-labelling, and concrete recommendations with respect to the design of eco-labelling programmes are made. Eco-labelling is the only tool which functions within the conflicting social forces of consumer society and sustainability. As a market-based instrument for environmental management that functions within the producer - consumer relationship, eco-labelling can be seen as the ecological marketisation of consumer society. Best practices in eco-labelling rely on accepting the fundamental market principles combined with social trends. (author´s abstract)

Submitted by Irene Nascimento (irene.kessia@ufpe.br) on 2016-07-21T17:43:16Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) distinçãosocialdissertação.pdf: 79432351 bytes, checksum: 48552eacac2823f31ec79f1677313104 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-21T17:43:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) distinçãosocialdissertação.pdf: 79432351 bytes, checksum: 48552eacac2823f31ec79f1677313104 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-07-24 / FACEPE / O objetivo desta pesquisa é analisar o morar nos condomínios fechados não como uma simples resposta a crescente violência urbana, fortalezas defensivas contra os perigos e ameaças à espreita nas ruas, mas como uma forma de distinção e status. Assim, o enfoque volta-se ao entendimento dessa tipologia urbana como a transfiguração de um tipo de habitação em objeto de consumo, atravessada pela publicidade e permeada de conotações com diferentes significados e hierarquias, de prestígio e de moda, parte de uma lógica da diferenciação característica da sociedade de consumo sobre a qual discorreu Jean Baudrillard. A partir dessa referência teórica optou-se, como procedimento metodológico, privilegiar a análise de conteúdo proposta por Bardin dos anúncios imobiliários dos residenciais AlphaVille-SP, de modo a mostrar como esses anúncios tornaram os condomínios uma moradia extremamente atraente, dialogando com valores caros à sociedade contemporânea. / The objective of this project research is to analyze the living in gated communities not as a simple response to the growing urban violence, defensive fortresses against the dangers and threats lurking on the streets, but as a way of distinction and status. Thus, the focus turns to the understanding of this urban typology as the transfiguration of housing in a consumer object, crossed by advertising and fraught with connotations with different meanings and hierarchies of prestige and fashion, part of a logic of differentiation feature of the consumer society on which Jean Baudrillard argued about. From this theoretical framework was chosen, as methodological procedure, to privilege the analysis of content proposed by Bardin of the real estate ads of AlphaVille-SP residentials, in order to show how these ads made condominiums a very attractive housing, interacting with important values to the contemporary society.

In the past years there has been an increase in interest regarding the environment and this combined with the technological advancement has resulted in new opportunities to secondhand consume. The stigmatisation regarding second-hand consumption is in present day often considered something of the past. The aim of this study is to contribute to the understanding of second-hand consumption as a phenomenon. Questions asked are how second-hand consumption interacts with the ideals of the consumer society, as well as what second-hand consumers can consider to buy or not buy second-hand and why this is. Previous research shows that the second-hand commodity is chosen for its value relative to its price, how second-hand consumption can contribute to overconsumption as well as how the perceived threat of the previous owner affects the second-hand commodity. This study, based on qualitative interviews with second-hand consuming students, indicates that second-hand consumption enables inadequate consumers to become adequate. The result also shows that second-hand consumption enables environmentally conscious consumers to follow the ideals of the consumer society with good conscience and that there is still some stigmatisation regarding second-hand consumption. However this stigma seems to be undergoing a revaluation process on both an individual and societal level. / Under de senaste åren har det ökade intresset för miljön och den tekniska utvecklingen öppnat upp nya möjligheter att andrahandskonsumera. Stigmat kring andrahandskonsumtion beskrivs numera som något förgånget. Syftet med denna studie är att bidra till förståelsen av andrahandskonsumtion som fenomen. Detta utifrån frågeställningarna hur andrahandskonsumtion interagerar med konsumtionssamhällets ideal samt vad andrahandskonsumenter kan tänka sig att köpa respektive inte köpa begagnat och vad detta kan bero på. Tidigare forskning har visat hur andrahandsvaran väljs för sitt värde i förhållande till varans pris, hur andrahandskonsumtion kan bidra till överkonsumtion samt hur det upplevda hotet från den tidigare ägaren påverkar andrahandsvaran. Denna studie, som baseras på kvalitativa intervjuer med andrahandskonsumerande studenter, visar hur andrahandskonsumtion möjliggör för fattiga konsumenter att konsumera enligt normen. Resultatet visar även att andrahandskonsumtion möjliggör för miljömedvetna konsumenter att med gott samvete följa konsumtionssamhällets ideal samt att det ännu finns ett stigma kring andrahandskonsumtion. Detta stigma tycks dock befinna sig i en omvärderingsprocess på både individ och samhällsnivå.

The graduation thesis Magazines for women today: a shop-window of consumerism? focuses on analysis of editorials in periodicals Blesk pro ženy and ELLE. I analyzed the year 2009 by using qualitative content analysis. In this thesis I am trying to find out how much these editorials are engaged in consumerism and how much they are appealing to the consumer life style. I was also interested in values connected with consumerism and in the ways the consumer life style is being tied in the editorials. By using semiotic theories, sociology and critical media studies literature I am decoding that the pleasurable images and editorials are primarily rooted in the economic system of consumer goods distribution. This thesis is devoted to anyone who is interested in women's magazines and their economic background.

The main subject of my dissertation is a theoretical-empirical analysis of shopping centers as a specific type of subculture. Closer analysis of the shopping center's influence on contemporary lifestyle and consumer behavior patterns is accented. The whole structure of the dissertation is divided into three main thematic sections: 1. Shopping centers in the process of globalization and unification of human culture. 2. Shopping centers as a specific type of institution and subculture. 3. Shopping centers as a determinant of contemporary lifestyle. The source of information and data utilized for processing this dissertation are both theoretical literature and practical observation in Prague's shopping centers. The main goal of my dissertation is to contribute somehow to the phenomenon of consumer behavior in the postmodern culture. Key words : consumer society, shopping centre, consumption, corporation

[pt] Este trabalho tem como objetivo discutir a sociedade de consumo, o rock and roll e a manifestação da melancolia na segunda metade do século XX, em especial a partir dos anos 1990. Conjugados, esses termos representam um diálogo íntimo e combinatório, que nos ajuda analisar a sociedade sob diferentes aspectos: a produção musical e seus reflexos sociais; a melancolia – e sua conceituação – com crescente relevância em diagnósticos e percepções; a sociedade de consumo como campo, tanto para o surgimento do rock quanto para a aparição do fenômeno melancólico; e a própria relação rock x melancolia que ora denuncia, ora é produtora de significados sociais. Entram em discussão as noções sobre individualismo, linearidade, invisibilidade social, fetichismo mercadológico e a falência do conceito de progresso. / [en] This thesis discusses the consumer society, rock and roll and the manifestation of melancholia in the second half of the twentieth century, especially since the 1990s. Together, these terms represents an intimate dialogue which helps us to analyze the society in different aspects: music production and its social consequences; melancholia - and its concept - with an increasing relevance in diagnostic and perceptions; consumer society as field for the emergence of rock as to the appearance of the phenomenon melancholia; and the relation rock x melancholy that produces social meanings. Also discusses notions about individualism, linearity, social invisibility, market fetishism and failure of the concept of progress.

This study seeks to understand ways in which members’ experience a sense of belonging within Sephora’s own commodified community: Beauty Insider. Three research questions are presented, the final one being of highest importance: in which way do members of Beauty Insider experience a sense of belonging? To be able to understand the members, previous research is presented where Muniz & O’Guinn’s (2001) study on Brand Communities is essential, as well as the study conducted by Dholakia et al. (2004) on participation within communities. To better understand what activities members engage in within communities, a theoretical framework based on fan cultures, consumer culture and participatory culture is presented to gain a better understanding of the aspects of a community. This study will approach the research questions mainly using focus group interviews, as well as a necessary description of the discourse content of the platform to better understand the context of the study. The study concludes by presenting a result and an analysis that is, mostly, in line with previous research as well as discovering new aspects of members attitudes towards Beauty Insider and which meaning members experience as a result of participating in different activities within the community.