Consumer credit and the institutionalization of consumerism.
Item
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Title
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Consumer credit and the institutionalization of consumerism.
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Identifier
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AAI9405543
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identifier
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9405543
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Creator
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Klein, Lloyd.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Charles Winick
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Date
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1993
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Sociology, General | Economics, General
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Abstract
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This thesis examines the relationship between consumer credit social control mechanisms, and the imposition of cultural values. The primary research focus assumes that the utilization of consumer credit since World War II was accompanied by increased institutional controls associated with a substantial cultural impact upon American life.;Cultural values are seen as status formations stemming from economic development. Product distribution is dependent upon the previously assessed or changing consumer desires. Credit cards, installment credit, and other consumer credit instruments facilitated the development of the service sector from the pre-industrial stage through post-Fordist (or postmodern) dependence upon niche or planned marketing.;The cultural impact of consumer credit is connected with the ascendence of marketing and cultural change. Consumers accept credit cards as instruments for the facilitated acquisition of available goods and services. The rise of consumer debt and industrial forgiveness of accumulated debt gains acceptance among the business sector and consumers because sustained consumer activity is absolutely necessary for the continued sustenance of the marketplace. Consumers accept the premise, along with the credit services facilitating the purchase of various commodities.;The overall analysis is divided into five parts. One facet of the analysis focuses upon developed post-Fordist tendencies within American society during the period between Post World War Two--the early 1990s. Post-Fordist developments were accompanied by the diversification of consumer products and increased distribution of consumer credit instruments facilitating the acquisition of those products. A second facet examines the experiential realm where the service sector offers diverse niche marketing of specific products and experiences attainable through the utilization of consumer credit. Some of the experiences discussed in the chapter include telephone sex, fantasy suites, Disney theme parks, and Las Vegas. A third chapter offers an analysis of the role of advertising in promoting the cultural utility of consumer credit. A fourth facet of the thesis examines the retail credit sector. A social historical view of product distribution demonstrates how credit cards and installment plans facilitated the development of department stores and the newly evolving forms of product distribution through shopping malls and home shopping services. The last section offers an analysis of bankruptcy and the social cultural changes associated with debt forgiveness and the readily facile acceptance of bankruptcy as a way of life for many people.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
