Cultural Consumption Research Articles

The “dispersed” market: trading vegetables in Bamberg’s vegetable-growing district

Based on field observations, interviews, personal websites and news publications, the article takes a detailed look at the trade in Bamberg vegetables in a traditional vegetable-growing district. I ask the following questions: why, despite logistical and transportation inconveniences, buying vegetables from the producer is in demand and popular in today’s Germany? what can the convenience of the supermarket be opposed to? and what can sellers who have grown their own produce offer the sophisticated resident of a wealthy German city? The collected field material shows that the sale/purchase of vegetables in the stalls of the “dispersed market” occupies a certain niche in the consumption culture of the city dwellers and realizes a specific, emotionally loaded purchasing experience, which speaks of the eventization of trade. This different experience of consumption is purposefully constructed as if it is rooted in tradition and referring to some idealized past and notions of homeland, as well as to the concept of urban authenticity.

You make me feel like dancing: the effects of dance exposure on children’s cultural interests and social-emotional development

Stratification by race and socioeconomic status generates disparities in cultural exposure and consumption. Though public education can serve as a mechanism for addressing social inequalities, schools with high concentrations of low-income and minority students often lack the resources to provide enriching cultural experiences. Efforts to make cultural exposure and consumption more equitable remain stymied by school and neighborhood stratification, as well as by lingering questions about the value of cultural consumption for students. Employing a randomized research design, we analyze the effects of elementary students in under-resourced school participating in a collaborative dance program provided by a major ballet company. We find that participation increases students’ enthusiasm for dance and sense of self-efficacy. Students with prior lower levels of arts and culture exposure demonstrate the largest gains in self-efficacy and experience an increase in their sense of school connectedness. Male students, who were less enthusiastic about dance prior to the program, show the largest increase in dance enthusiasm. These findings demonstrate that targeted efforts by schools and arts organizations can play a meaningful role in students’ cultural capital acquisition, which in turn leads to higher student self-efficacy and sense of belonging, particularly for students with lower levels of arts and cultural learning experience.

Commodification of Umrah through Social Media: Phenomenological Study on Umrah Pilgrims of Sociosalites in Jakarta

This research aims to find out the religious activities of Umrah pilgrims of socialites in Jakarta commodified through social media and to find out socialite individuals uploading religious activities on social media. In obtaining data in this study, researchers used qualitative methods based on the constructivism paradigm. This paradigm views knowledge as the result of the construction of human thought, not just the experience of facts. In this case humans understand social reality more based on the subject that examines rather than the object under study. The results of this study indicate that there are individual socialite factors uploading religious activities on social media, this study also found two elements of commodification that were implemented, namely Exchange Value and Use Value, and this study found that Umrah, which is traditionally a religious experience, has now been transformed into a culture of Conspicious Consumption.

The Consumerism Culture of the Younger Generation in Fashion

Fashion is one of the most widely known phenomena of everyday life, inextricably linked with art, communication, and mass culture. The scope of fashion includes clothing, forms of everyday life, cars, aesthetic and artistic tastes, etc. In most cases, researchers understand fashion as clothing patterns that are most popular in a specific historical period. A person always searches for his belonging, tries to identify himself with a social group that is a reference for him. Habit, following a model and imitation are the basis of self-determination, which ensures the rituality of culture and the mechanisms of its development and reproduction. Fashion helps to preserve cultural tradition, is a symbol of social status, directs behavior and sets the boundaries of what is permitted and desired, and acts as a means of achieving social recognition. In modern world, fashion has received much attention from both ordinary people and scientists. Being an interdisciplinary object, fashion attracts the attention of researchers from different fields of knowledge. More precisely than others, the essence and concept of fashion are reflected by those who create it. Therefore, the article studies and analyzes the understanding of fashion by famous couturiers. In conclusion, the author, according to literature materials, and combining the approaches considered, explain main attributes of the consumption culture of young generation. Keywords: fashion, consumption culture, youth, fashion industry, social recognition

Research on Marketing Strategies for Optimizing Entertainment Products Using the Internet

Abstract: The rapid development of science and technology has profoundly altered the way people live and consume. As a significant aspect of cultural consumption, the marketing approach to entertainment products has undergone a profound transformation in response to the Internet. The traditional marketing of entertainment products is mainly reliant on the use of television advertisements, newspaper publicity, and other offline activities. Though these methods have achieved notable results over time, their reach and marketing power are constrained, making it challenging to meet the diverse and personalized needs of todays consumers. The paper aims to explore the potential of the Internet and online media to enhance product marketing strategies in the entertainment industry in the digital age. Through a comprehensive analysis of literature reviews, case studies and data studies, this paper explores the concept and current status of online marketing, as well as the application of online marketing in entertainment industries such as movies, music and games, and how existing data analysis can be used to help the modern entertainment industry optimize its existing online marketing strategies. The results show that by rationally applying online marketing strategies and adapting them to local conditions, not only can audience and user engagement be increased, but sales performance and brand image can also be significantly improved.

Construction of a Multi-Level Strategic System for Cultivating Cultural Industry Management Talents in Colleges and Universities

Through SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) and PEST (political, economic, social, and technological) analysis, this study discusses the construction of a multi-level strategic system for the cultivation of cultural industry management talents in colleges and universities. First of all, based on SWOT analysis, it is found that colleges and universities have rich educational resources and policy support, but they face challenges such as insufficient practical teaching and intensified international competition. External opportunities come from the rapid development of the cultivation of cultural industry management talents and policy promotion, while threats come from global market competition and talent flow. Secondly, PEST analysis reveals the key factors in the macro-environment: at the political level, the state vigorously supports the cultivation of cultural industry management talents; at the economic level, the market demand for cultural industries is strong; at the social level, the public cultural consumption is upgraded; at the technological level, digital transformation promotes industry innovation. On this basis, this paper puts forward a multi-level strategic system covering theoretical education, practical skill improvement, interdisciplinary integration, and international vision training. The system aims to solve the problems existing in talent training in colleges and universities and cultivate high-quality cultural industry management talents with theoretical knowledge, practical skills, and global vision, so as to adapt to the increasingly complex and diversified cultural industry management talents market demand and promote the long-term development of the industry.

Food for (political) thought: political inferences from apolitical cues and their social consequences in Italy

ABSTRACT US-based research showed that individuals rely on apolitical cues, like cars or clothes, to form expectations about others’ political preferences. This article uses the concept of ‘politicultural linking’ — producing inferences about others from the perceived alignment between apolitical and political preferences — observing this behavior in Italy, a multi-party European context, through a survey vignette experiment on food preferences. We find that respondents associate vegan/ethnic foods with the political left and carnivore foods with the right. Moreover, ideological self-placement, news media exposure, and cultural consumption are associated with respondents’ willingness to do politicultural linking. Finally, we observe that this behavior affects the propensity to interact and converse with others, with implications for social distance and political polarization dynamics.

The Symbolic Meaning and Cultural Consumption of Virtual Celebrities in the New Media Environment: A Case Study of White Snake: Afloat

With the transformation of the media environment, the star system is also evolving, and virtual celebrities are increasingly visible in the public eye, playing dual roles. The relationship between virtual celebrities and new media is mutually beneficial: new media provides stable channels for promoting virtual celebrities, while the cultural and economic benefits brought by virtual celebrities inspire research into the creation and use of new media. The virtual celebrities in the film White Snake: Afloat offer a typical case for studying the symbolic meaning and cultural consumption of virtual celebrities. By analyzing the role of virtual celebrities in White Snake: Afloat, we can understand the relationship between the star system and media development, how virtual celebrities expand the fan economy in the market, promote the long tail effect in the film industry, and the reasons behind virtual celebrities as a symbol of mass aesthetics, thereby advancing the inheritance and development of traditional culture.

Immersive Entertainment: The Reconstruction and Value Analysis of Chinese Mythology

As an integral part of Chinese culture, Chinese mythology embodies rich historical, cultural, and philosophical connotations. With the accelerated development of the cultural and creative industry, Chinese mythology, with its rich content, imagery, and narratives, has gained favor among practitioners. It is deconstructed and reshaped in contemporary contexts, showing a trend of pan-entertainment in the field of cultural consumption. The immersive real-scene entertainment industry, a nascent sector in China with just over twenty years of development, utilizes advanced technologies to create multi-sensory immersive experiences. This medium, following films, theater, and games, serves as another high-quality, high-density information dissemination channel and has unique advantages in the re-creation of original Chinese myths. This study explores the development of Chinese myths such as "The Legend of the White Snake" and "Dunhuang Feitian," analyzing immersive entertainment cases like "Seeking the Realm of Dunhuang - Digital Dunhuang Immersive Exhibition." Through textual analysis and comparative investigation, it examines the current status and future prospects of real-scene entertainment, and the historical tracing and restoration of Chinese mythology that can be achieved via the industry.

Gradual behaviour change towards meat reduction revisited: Applying the decisional balance scale in a Dutch study

Meat moderation is needed to mitigate climate change and to address issues related to animal welfare and public health. Yet little is known on the process that consumers go through towards meat-reduced diets. Strässner and Hartmann (2023) recently developed the decisional balance scale (DB scale) for meat reduction, in order to get a better understanding of the trade-offs that consumers encounter in this dietary shift. The current study sets out to replicate their German study in the Dutch context. A survey has been conducted among a representative sample of Dutch adults (N = 1982). Overall, the present study corroborated Strässner and Hartmann's findings. Similar to the German situation, Legitimation is the most important barrier, and the Downsides of factory farming is the most important motivator for meat reduction in the Netherlands. The present study extends the German study by comparing the DB scale with other established scales in research on meat reduction. Although several motivational elements related to the legitimacy of eating meat, health impact and production of meat appear in different instruments, the DB scale sets itself apart in adding practical elements (feasibility). Finally, the insights in the decision balance of population subgroups at different stages of behaviour change (no intention, intention, performing) showed that the further in the meat reduction process, the more the pros outweigh the cons. With this, the current study provides valuable insights in bolstering consumers in meat moderation. Our findings support the idea of a gradual shift and reveal that there is potential for acceleration in behaviour change towards meat reduction to be found in adjusting the self-evidence of high-intensity livestock farming systems and the meat-centric food consumption culture.

Sacred Water: Neo-Spiritual Consumerism in Catherine Chanter’s The Well

ABSTRACT Catherine Chanter’s The Well depicts a water-scarce Britain where the fertile farm of the Ardingly couple becomes a site of exploitation by a spiritual community called the Sisters of the Rose. By setting her novel on a farm named The Well, Chanter constructs a spatial map that not only exposes the cult’s manipulative power but also serves as a symbolic microcosm of their capitalist exploitation, highlighting the rise of a phenomenon I term “neo-spiritual consumerism.” Drawing on Fredric Jameson’s concept of “late capitalism” (1991) and his theory of “cognitive mapping” (1992), this study examines how Chanter uses The Well as a spatial narrative instrument to re-mythologize religious narratives as a form of cultural consumption. Through a literary analysis of Chanter’s novel, the study examines her ironic use of religious symbols to delve into the social, psychological, and political implications of associating environmental crises with divine retribution, deflecting attention from the socio-economic systems perpetuating environmental degradation. Chanter’s subversive use of religious symbolism highlights how capitalist frameworks exacerbate ecological vulnerabilities. This research prompts critical assessment of modern spiritual movements and emphasizes capitalism’s pervasive influence in sacred domains, compelling readers to consider alternative worldviews and ethical frameworks for navigating a changing world.

Research on the Development Strategy of Cultural and Creative Products of Libraries from the Perspective of Consumer Behavior

ABSTRACTIn recent years, there has been a notable trend and exemplary practice among libraries in effectively developing cultural and creative products. This endeavor not only foster the creative transformation and innovative development of culture, but also meets the escalating demand for high‐quality cultural consumption. Focusing on the consumption behavior of library culture and creative products in China, underscores the critical consideration for libraries, including the evolution of the consumption themes, addressing the symbolic consumption demands, creating new consumption scenarios, enhancing product quality, and augmenting consumer service awareness. Our findings highlight the importance of product diversity and aesthetic appeal, the fulfillment of commemorative value and social value, and the balancing of emotional and cognitive satisfaction in consumer demand. Moreover, the effective integration of both online and offline channels and leveraging the influence of Key Opinion Leader (KOL) are recommended marketing strategies. Regarding pricing, consumers are sensitive to price, preferring products of high quality and originality within reasonable price ranges. Finally, the study highlights the significance of enhancing the overall purchase experience and service quality, which significantly influence subsequent consumption behavior.

A Paradigm Shift in the Malaysian Animation Industry: Inclusive Transmedia Storytelling and Cultural Preservation Contrary to Global Trends

This study critically examines the evolving consumption culture within the Malaysian animation industry, focusing on the shift from child-specific to familial viewership. Over the past two decades, the industry has experienced substantial growth in viewership and box office revenues, largely driven by local producers’ strategic adoption of transmedia storytelling. Through qualitative analysis of two prominent Malaysian animation franchises, BoBoiBoy and Ejen Ali, this study explores how interconnected narratives and cross-generational references across multiple platforms attract a wider audience while preserving cultural integrity. The methodology involves content analysis and audience reception studies to assess the impact of transmedia strategies on viewership patterns. Results indicate that a pan-family perspective in storytelling, which integrates diverse audience interests, contributes significantly to broadening the viewership base without compromising Malaysian cultural values. The findings demonstrate that adherence to local cultural aspirations remains a critical factor in distinguishing Malaysian animation from the global trend of adult-oriented content. The study concludes that transmedia storytelling offers a powerful framework for developing family-oriented animation that appeals to both children and adults while safeguarding local traditions. Implications suggest that this model may serve as a blueprint for future productions aiming to balance market competitiveness with cultural preservation. Keywords: Transmedia storytelling, Malaysia, animation industry, consumption culture, cultural preservation.

The Effects of Values of Single-Person Households on Digital Cultural Consumption: Focusing on Comparison with Multi-Person Households

The Effects of Values of Single-Person Households on Digital Cultural Consumption: Focusing on Comparison with Multi-Person Households

Research on Cultural Consumption from the Perspective of Mental Accounting

Behavioral economics emerged in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Compared to traditional economics, its theory is based on bounded rationality and combines with disciplines like psychology to address the limitations of traditional economic theory, providing more convincing explanations for market phenomena. Behavioral economics covers a wide range of topics, and this paper focuses on the perspective of mental accounting to study cultural consumption. Cultural consumption is the endogenous driving force for the development of the cultural industry. The psychological factors behind cultural consumption are key to influencing consumption decisions. Adopting the mental accounting theory from behavioral economics, residents' cultural consumption mental account consist of three main categories: economic capital account, cultural capital account, and social capital account, as well as six sub-accounts: transaction cost account, sunk cost account, leisure and entertainment account, aesthetic value account, social interaction account, and identity differentiation account. These accounts can effectively explain the influence mechanism between utility changes and cultural consumption behavior decisions. Based on the connotation and mechanism of the cultural consumption mental account theory, formulating various bundled sales strategies, reducing the sunk costs of cultural consumption, and promoting the high-quality development of the cultural industry are important paths to expand residents' cultural consumption. By integrating insights from behavioral economics, this approach can provide more effective solutions to boost cultural consumption and drive the sustainable development of the cultural industry.

Popular Culture in Social Media & Online Games: Between Morality, Fear, and Expectations from Families and Schools

Aim. This article aims to present the meanings given by families and schools in viewing popular culture in social media and online games, and the implications for children. Important questions in this study include the relevance of educational values, concerns, fears and hopes of families and schools in viewing popular culture today. Methods. Phenomenology to explore how families and schools interpret the presence of popular culture in children's lives. Results. Families and schools agree that compared to the positive benefits, popular culture has more negative effects on children. Concerns related to children's imitation nature, such as imitating various popular content on social media and online games and practising them in the real world. Families and schools fear of negative popular content will appear algorithmically and randomly on children's social media or online game homepages. All parties hope that the Indonesian government has the firmness to limit the intensity of use and the type of content consumed by children. Conclusion. Popular culture is inseparable from children's lives today, as social media and online games have become new spaces for them. Despite knowing this, families and schools still suffer from worry and fear of the negative effects of popular culture on children. The control exercised by families and schools still provides a gap for negative popular culture to enter when children operate social media and online games. Therefore, moral teachings are needed for families and schools to ask the government to be actively involved in limiting children's consumption of popular culture.

ИНТЕРПРЕТАЦИИ ТЕРМИНА «МОНОКУЛЬТУРА» ДО И ПОСЛЕ ЦИФРОВОГО СОСТОЯНИЯ

The article is devoted to the analysis of the phenomenon of monoculture, chronologically divided into pre-digital and digital. Pre-digital monoculture is presented through the critical analysis of cultural consumption. Using the case of such cultural texts as Game of Thrones, Harry Potter and Star Wars, the author shows that pre-digital monoculture is a part of popular culture. It was the consumption of various symbols that marked the dominance of a cultural text in the pre-digital era. In an attempt to characterize the digital monoculture, the author refers to Alan Kirby’s theory of digimodernism and the theory of technofeudalism by J. Dean and Y. Varoufakis, also offering his own definition of the term.

Exploling the Scientific Model for Constructing a Platform for the International Communication of PingJiang Opera

Purpose: Considerable changes have occurred in many areas of science and technology as a result of the current information technologies' quick development and use. Specifically, new theories in mathematics have surfaced; they may be used to construct and refine current mathematical models of different processes and objects. Method: Regulatory and permitting decision-makers are worried about the ambiguity surrounding the possible environmental consequences arising from the introduction of these innovative devices in coastal and riverine ecosystems as research and testing of maritime energy devices progress. The Triton Initiative conducts studies and makes suggestions for environmental monitoring techniques and technology to give industry stakeholders with the information required to approve maritime energy system testing. Results: The efficient distribution of research findings is crucial in enhancing data accessibility for stakeholders who might use the information to make informed policy choices. Nevertheless, there are few frameworks available for carrying out scientific communications related to marine energy projects. Using the Triton Initiative's pilot scientific communication program as a case study, we discuss methods, resources, and strategies for creating a science communication framework for marine energy projects or other related fields of research in this article. Conclusion: This article uses the historic Pingjiang Road in Suzhou, China, as a case study to investigate how, in the era of globalization and digital media, urban spaces that have been revitalized for historic and cultural consumption may demonstrate the publicness or potential capacity for publicity.

Why is “K-pop” popular in China: Research on the consumption behavior patterns in the New Media Environment

With the entertainment industry and the prevalence of consumerism today, the birth of the fan consumer culture in recent years has shown more and more powerful influence, fan economic market is growing. The emergence of new media communication channels, so that the emergence of new ways of communication, and then to provide a broader fan consumption exchange, trading platform. “Hanyu” also has many loyal fans in China, especially “K-POP” fans.This paper takes the “K-POP” fans in China as the main research object, studies their consumption behavior, analyzes the causes of this phenomenon and the factors that affect the consumption behavior of fans, further enrich the research results in the field of cultural consumption, explore the unique advantages of fan consumption culture for better manufacturing of Chinese products and dissemination of Chinese culture.

LAUGHTER AS A SYMPTOM OF MODERNITY: ANALYSIS OF DEMARCATIONALITY AND INTERPASSIVITY OF LAUGHTER

The author of the article aims to explore the functions and tasks of laughter in the context of modern life, as well as the difficulties that people face today, including stress and the search for identity. She proves this by refuting two common positions that exist in the academic space: 1) the understanding of laughter as a means of destroying hierarchy or as a transgressive force with the destructive potential to expose social ills; 2) the contagious nature of laughter. In the author's opinion, these positions are not able to describe and explain the phenomena taking place in the modern world. Instead of interpreting laughter as a transgression of social roles, the author proposes to understand it as a means of demarcation, that is, as an act that affirms social roles rather than destroys them. According to the author, through the act of laughter, a person demonstrates not only an understanding of the essence of a joke, but also support for the values embedded in it. Using the Lacanian notion of paroisse and the analysis of designated places for laughter, the author argues that agreement with implicit values in a joke makes it possible to identify with a certain group of people, as common values are one of the factors that unite individuals. The joke and the reaction to it with laughter become a way of communication, where the subject identifies himself in the act of laughter. The author concludes that modern people assert their identity through laughter. Using the example of contemporary comedy genres, the author demonstrates the emergence of a new interpassive function of laughter, which is opposed to its contagiousness. The interpassive nature of laughter has emerged due to the need of a modern person to replace their emotions. It can be seen as a symptom of the modern state of the subject, who is under constant stress. Due to the overloaded life, modern subject is forced to push emotions to the background. The culture of consumption and pleasure has become so widespread and accessible that the individual does not refuse certain ways of enjoyment, but transfers this function to other objects. The modern subject no longer has to take on the exhausting role of a laughing person, and thanks to the interpersonal nature of laughter, laughs and enjoys through the Other. The author concludes that such a transfer allows the modern person to feel that the action of laughter has been performed.