Materialism, Sign Value, and Consumer Culture

Vocabulary flashcards covering the sociological and psychological concepts of use value, sign value, conspicuous consumption, hypercapitalism, and related empirical research.

Use value

The practical purpose of an object, such as a watch telling time, a handbag carrying items, or shoes protecting feet.

Sign value

The social and cultural meaning associated with the possession of an object, which can signify wealth, prestige, or membership in a social or cultural class.

Conspicuous consumption

The practice of purchasing a product primarily to display status and social standing.

Thorstein Veblen

The theorist who introduced the concept of conspicuous consumption in his 1899 work The Theory of the Leisure Class.

Jean Baudrillard

The French sociologist and philosopher who explored sign value, explaining how commodities acquire meanings associated with prestige, status, and social distinction.

Hypercapitalism

A consumer culture framework where consumption fulfills not only material needs, but also builds social identity through branding, manufactured scarcity, and fast-moving trends.

Russell Belk

Author of the 1988 Journal of Consumer Research article entitled Possessions and the Extended Self, which asserted that possessions shape and extend an individual's identity.

Scarcity

A mechanism in consumer culture that manages limited quantities or product availability via special editions, exclusive collaborations, and collectibles to confer exclusivity and boost perceived value.

2022 Journal of Retailing meta-analysis

A meta-analysis examining 416 effect sizes from 131 studies showing that scarcity cues increase purchase intentions and perception of a product's value.

Accelerating Trends

A hypercapitalist mechanism where products circulate rapidly through media and influencers to form aesthetic lifestyle movements, causing trends to swiftly gain and lose appeal.

Aestheticization of the mundane

The process of organizing normal, daily parts of life and everyday objects (such as a coffee cup or a water bottle) according to design styles or consumer identities.

2023 Journal of Product & Brand Management study

A study surveying 295 college students examining social comparison between Generation Z and social media influencers to analyze attitudes, interaction, and brand purchase intentions.

2014 Journal of Personality and Social Psychology meta-analysis

A meta-analysis by Helga Dittmar, Rod Bond, Megan Hurst, and Tim Kasser examining 753 effect sizes from 259 samples, finding that materialistic orientations link strongly to reduced personal well-being.

2024 Journal of Consumer Behaviour meta-analysis

A study examining 55 reports, 72 separate studies, and 44,376 people, which revealed that being materialistic is linked negatively to social performance, friendships, and help from others.