The unmanageable consumer : contemporary consumption and its fragmentation

After an overview of the evolution of contemporary Western consumerism and the various meanings it has acquired for different groups in different contexts, this text presents a range of distinctive portraits of the consumer including the chooser, where choice is placed at the heart of the consumption process; the communicator of meanings through goods acquired; the identity-seeker; the explorer; the hedonist; and the rebel.

Each picture reflects a range of paradigms and perspectives about the nature of consumption and the authors analyze the tensions and contradictions inherent in each of them. The theoretical recalcitrance of notions of consumerism and the unmanageable consumer is highlighted, as are the fragmentation, volatility and confusion of contemporary Western consumption.

The study concludes by arguing against any triumphalism about the globalization of Western-style consumption - questionable on economic, cultural, environmental and moral grounds.