Consumerism as an Attribute of Neutralization of Social Relations and Political Activity
<p>The consumer culture created in post-Soviet Russian society has a negative impact on many aspects of sociocultural life of the individual and society as a whole. Consumer society is a set of relations with dominated symbolism of material objects being a life purpose, which causes consumers...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | Russian |
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Russian Academy of Sciences (FCTAS RAS), Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology
2016-01-01
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| Series: | Социологическая наука и социальная практика |
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| Online Access: | https://www.jour.fnisc.ru/index.php/socjour/article/view/3224/4046 |
| _version_ | 1818739084430934016 |
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| author | Alexey N. Ilin |
| author_facet | Alexey N. Ilin |
| author_sort | Alexey N. Ilin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>The consumer culture created in post-Soviet Russian society has a negative impact on many aspects of sociocultural life of the individual and society as a whole. Consumer society is a set of relations with dominated symbolism of material objects being a life purpose, which causes consumers to purchase things, thus creating its high status position. Consumerism is the support of marks production included in every act of purchase and total semiotization of reality. The article examines such issues specific to Russian modernity as the weakening of social relations, individualism, political apathy, and refocusing of mass interest from serious political, economic and environmental topics to personal aspects. It is shown that these issues are directly related to the tendencies of consumer culture. Consumer culture suggests calls to an individual activity, but also to social inaction. Deconsolidation is a feature of voluntary marginalization typical of consumer society. When it becomes wide-scale, a paradoxical phenomenon should be observed as the “social exclusion of the majority”. An existing, permanent revolution of individualism expressed in the relevant changes of culture and value orientations eliminates political activity and displaces the political discourse of the mass consciousness. Insensitivity to issues concerning society, nation and the world is one of metaproblems and social meta-menaces typical of the era of consumption. The theories of consumption sociology and social philosophy are used as the theoretical and methodological basis for this research. Hypertrophy of consumption values in extreme cases leads society to a loss of its foundation, namely sociality.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-18T01:19:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-43d42618efa24b5d958b7868dd31eb3f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2308-6416 |
| language | Russian |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-18T01:19:13Z |
| publishDate | 2016-01-01 |
| publisher | Russian Academy of Sciences (FCTAS RAS), Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Социологическая наука и социальная практика |
| spelling | doaj.art-43d42618efa24b5d958b7868dd31eb3f2022-12-21T21:25:52ZrusRussian Academy of Sciences (FCTAS RAS), Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied SociologyСоциологическая наука и социальная практика2308-64162016-01-012145183224Consumerism as an Attribute of Neutralization of Social Relations and Political ActivityAlexey N. Ilin0Omsk State Pedagogical University<p>The consumer culture created in post-Soviet Russian society has a negative impact on many aspects of sociocultural life of the individual and society as a whole. Consumer society is a set of relations with dominated symbolism of material objects being a life purpose, which causes consumers to purchase things, thus creating its high status position. Consumerism is the support of marks production included in every act of purchase and total semiotization of reality. The article examines such issues specific to Russian modernity as the weakening of social relations, individualism, political apathy, and refocusing of mass interest from serious political, economic and environmental topics to personal aspects. It is shown that these issues are directly related to the tendencies of consumer culture. Consumer culture suggests calls to an individual activity, but also to social inaction. Deconsolidation is a feature of voluntary marginalization typical of consumer society. When it becomes wide-scale, a paradoxical phenomenon should be observed as the “social exclusion of the majority”. An existing, permanent revolution of individualism expressed in the relevant changes of culture and value orientations eliminates political activity and displaces the political discourse of the mass consciousness. Insensitivity to issues concerning society, nation and the world is one of metaproblems and social meta-menaces typical of the era of consumption. The theories of consumption sociology and social philosophy are used as the theoretical and methodological basis for this research. Hypertrophy of consumption values in extreme cases leads society to a loss of its foundation, namely sociality.</p>https://www.jour.fnisc.ru/index.php/socjour/article/view/3224/4046culture of consumptiondeconsolidationdepoliticizationconsumer societypolitical passivityindividualismsolidarityatomization |
| spellingShingle | Alexey N. Ilin Consumerism as an Attribute of Neutralization of Social Relations and Political Activity Социологическая наука и социальная практика culture of consumption deconsolidation depoliticization consumer society political passivity individualism solidarity atomization |
| title | Consumerism as an Attribute of Neutralization of Social Relations and Political Activity |
| title_full | Consumerism as an Attribute of Neutralization of Social Relations and Political Activity |
| title_fullStr | Consumerism as an Attribute of Neutralization of Social Relations and Political Activity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Consumerism as an Attribute of Neutralization of Social Relations and Political Activity |
| title_short | Consumerism as an Attribute of Neutralization of Social Relations and Political Activity |
| title_sort | consumerism as an attribute of neutralization of social relations and political activity |
| topic | culture of consumption deconsolidation depoliticization consumer society political passivity individualism solidarity atomization |
| url | https://www.jour.fnisc.ru/index.php/socjour/article/view/3224/4046 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT alexeynilin consumerismasanattributeofneutralizationofsocialrelationsandpoliticalactivity |