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L1, Introduction

11 important questions on L1, Introduction

In this course we are looking at lifestyles and consumption, how can we describe what we are doing best? (found in the book)

From a sociology perspective we investigate the symbolic expression of acts of consumption and relate those observations to classes and lifestyles.

What are the important aspects about goods and services we investigate in this course rather than price and function?

1 Different use and meanings
2 different degrees of social acceptance
3 different forms or markets (informal/formal)

What is a broad description of consumption according to the book?

Consumption describes as just taking something in order to receive or use it. (e.g. A baby consuming its mother's milk)

How can consumption be described in a narrower sense? And why, when using this decription, can we measure consumption, economically, as waste?

A formal or informal contract which accompanies processes of payment.

> Accordingly, only processes related to an exchange of money or to reciprocal expectations are regarded as acts of consumption. In this understanding, consumption can be measured economically as a waste, in terms of items getting eaten, burned or, literally, in the common sense of the word, consumed. (you buy something - it is of value - by consuming you'll not be able to get the same value back for it)

What does our pattern of consumption depend on?

Society and time, preferences, lifestyles and related tastes, position in the system of social class.

Why are norms important when looking at lifestyles and consumption?

Norms in a society define which services or goods are legal and which are classified as being illegal or criminal.

''Consumption does not only involve a series of different processes like choosing a product, buying, using and repairing something or managing waste; it is also about the legitimacy of products and their markets.'' - What is meant by this?

Reflections about consumption are always reflections about the social embeddednes of markets and their moral limits as well (Sandel, 2012).

- from a sociological view goods are related to different forms of use and meaning, with different degrees of social acceptance and meaning and different forms of markets.

Over the last twenty years, we have experienced two further remarkable trends in consumption: first, the evolution of electronic markets. - What can you tell about this trend? (belangrijke kaart!)

It has transformed the nature of what used to be geographically fragmented markets into one central global market.

Digitalizing consumption and processes of product evaluation and buying have become features of recent times.

Over the last twenty years, we have experienced two further remarkable trends in consumption: first, the evolution of electronic markets. - What can you tell about this trend? (belangrijke kaart!)

Over the last twenty years, we have experienced two further remarkable trends in consumption: secondly, the increasing greening of societies (in the sense of a growing awareness of the topic of sustainability). - What can you tell about this trend?

Societies worldwide are experiencing serious changes in consumer behavior in relation to product quality, the nature of production processes in combination with ecological and social parameters and issues of fair trade, all of which must be taken as new facts which also empower consumers.

Over the last twenty years, we have experienced two further remarkable trends in consumption: the evolution of electronic markets and the increasing greening of societies (in the sense of a growing awareness of the topic of sustainability). How do these two trends interact?

Consumers in the digital age (the evolution of electronic markets) are better informed than consumers in earlier times so that they multiply negative information (bad quality, ecological catastrophes etc.) about brands or companies in the social media worldwide very fast, which sets up new rules for international competition processes.

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Lifestyle and consumption

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L1, Introduction

11 important questions on L1, Introduction

In this course we are looking at lifestyles and consumption, how can we describe what we are doing best? (found in the book)

What are the important aspects about goods and services we investigate in this course rather than price and function?

What is a broad description of consumption according to the book?

How can consumption be described in a narrower sense? And why, when using this decription, can we measure consumption, economically, as waste?

What does our pattern of consumption depend on?

Why are norms important when looking at lifestyles and consumption?

''Consumption does not only involve a series of different processes like choosing a product, buying, using and repairing something or managing waste; it is also about the legitimacy of products and their markets.'' - What is meant by this?

Over the last twenty years, we have experienced two further remarkable trends in consumption: first, the evolution of electronic markets. - What can you tell about this trend? (belangrijke kaart!)

Over the last twenty years, we have experienced two further remarkable trends in consumption: first, the evolution of electronic markets. - What can you tell about this trend? (belangrijke kaart!)

Over the last twenty years, we have experienced two further remarkable trends in consumption: secondly, the increasing greening of societies (in the sense of a growing awareness of the topic of sustainability). - What can you tell about this trend?

Over the last twenty years, we have experienced two further remarkable trends in consumption: the evolution of electronic markets and the increasing greening of societies (in the sense of a growing awareness of the topic of sustainability). How do these two trends interact?

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