Consumption Style and Status Rank
Question 3: Consumption Style and Status Rank
3) Interview someone who is consciously styling their lives for prestige or “distinction” on the basis of consumption.
Answer questions below to see this as a “social fact”.
•What is the basis of prestige claims (e.g., clothing, cars, jewelry, cuisine, travel and vacations, address/house)?
•Does the style define membership a status group? See Guido as an example.
•Locate this group in a social hierarchy that ranks stylized performances like Guido in a conspicuous display (e.g.,Hipsters and “foodie” culture, Lo-Lifes and designer cool; “players and haters”, “in crowd” and “losers”, “popular kids”and “wannabes”).
•Locate this status group in the society-wide class system. In general, how does this consumption style reflect class culture, specifically level of income and taste?
•With Lo-Lifes and Guido in mind, how is consumption style a lower-class claim to respect?
•To what extent does consumption style reflect or “symbolize” an ethnic identity, as with Guido and Lo Lifes? For example, playing disco music on the car radio and always having a tan came to be symbolize “being Italian”.
•Is there media representation and validation for the style and the group, e.g., the MTV shows Jersey Shore and
Cribs? Elaborate