Consumption And Mass Media

Consumption and Mass Media Worksheet

What is conspicuous consumption? How does conspicuous consumption influence purchasing decisions? Think about a high-priced item that you have bought or would like to buy. To what extent does conspicuous consumption affect your decision?

According to the text, conspicuous consumption occurs when someone makes a purchase simply to show others that they can afford the item (Petracca & Sorapure, 2007). This means that the purchase is not made based on needs; rather it is based on the desire to "flaunt" in front of others. When a person is practicing conspicuous consumption, they often purchase items that are of little use. Conspicuous consumption often influences purchasing decisions as many people have a natural desire to please others. In addition, current advertisements often display useless items in a popular manner. Personally, conspicuous consumption has little affected on my purchase as I live on a very strict budget. There is little room for me to be wasteful in an effort to "flaunt" for someone else. However, this is not the norm, I see people on a daily basis making purchases they do not need with money they do not have just to look good to someone else.

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What is conspicuous leisure? Examples of conspicuous leisure are abundant on television. In what ways are leisure activities informed by social and economic class? Provide an example of a popular leisure activity. What assumptions can you make about the participants of the activity?

Conspicuous leisure is somewhat similar to conspicuous consumption. Conspicuous leisure is what happens when a someone chooses leisure activities based on wealth and social status. The main purpose of conspicuous leisure is that if one participates in certain leisure activities they will achieve a higher status. Leisure activities are informed by wealth and social status as certain activities are considered more popular among the "elite." For a good example, many people assume that those who attend museums and art exhibits are wealthier as those activities are usually more costly. It is also assumed that you have to be well educated to understand the exhibits in the art show or museum. A popular leisure activity is watching your favorite sports program. Many assumptions can be made at sporting events. The first thing to note is that the wealthier people usually have the better seats, suite access, or club level access. In addition, those who are wealthier tend to go to the bar for their drinks versus patronizing the "beer man" that comes down the aisles selling beer.

*Define the term globalization. What effect does globalization have on popular culture? Provide an example of how American popular culture has influenced other countries, or how the United States has imported popular culture from other countries.

The term globalization can be defined in many different ways. Globalization refers to the integration of regions on economic, political, cultural, or social levels. Globalization has an obvious effect on pop culture. In an age of ever increasing technology, information is spread among various cultures with extreme speed. The speed at which information is shared causes others to be impacted by globalization on a regular basis. Through the media, people are being exposed to images of pop culture. These images can cause those who are viewing them to attempt to imitate that image. A good example of how the American culture has influenced other countries is evident in Japan through Hip Hop music. Hip hop is so prevalent in Japan that there are many Japanese people who visit the United States to experience the Hip Hop culture firsthand (Isaka, 2007). A recent study of Japanese Hip Hop, (inspired by American pop culture), shows that the Japanese Hip Hop movement has significant impacts economically, academically, and culturally (Isaka, 2007).The impacts can be seen by the clothes they wear, the cars they drive, and their overall behavior patterns.

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