Title: Postmodern consumption in India: a conceptualisation and case synthesis

Authors: Roshni Das

Addresses: Indian Institute of Management, FPM # 208, IIM Indore, 453331 MP, India

Abstract: This paper argues that postmodern consumption of material goods is as much a consumption of the goods themselves as that of 'networked' information. In the process, it seeks to explore the plausible connection between social identity formation, identity enhancement by virtue of additional information in the form of 'warrants', identity dissemination by way of social flow of information and 'brand tribalism' culminating in the final act of 'social consumption'. A social theory of postmodern consumption is proposed. We adopt the 'variable based theory building and case based theory testing' method as enumerated in The Sage Handbook of Innovation in Social Research Methods (2011). An emerging economy such as India being the case testing ground adds a contextual element to the model. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on 'active, co-created consumption' and branding and marketing strategies specifically tailored to the digital-global market.

Keywords: consumption; postmodern; extended self; digital; culture; co-creation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJICBM.2017.086087

International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management, 2017 Vol.15 No.2, pp.170 - 182

Received: 29 Mar 2016
Accepted: 09 Aug 2016
Published online: 24 Aug 2017 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article