Consumer Culture and Advertising

This module explores how consumption, advertising, branding and promotion shape society. In the module we will ask questions such as:

• Why do many people find shopping so appealing?
• How does consumption relate to our identities, our hopes and our futures?
• What is consumption doing to the world? Are we shopping ourselves to death?
• Does consumption shape inequalities – both at a national and global level?
• How does advertising and branding speak to us?
• Do we now live in a ‘promotional culture’ in which we must ‘sell ourselves’?
• Why do some people resist consumer culture?