scholarly journals Shameful Technological Impertinence: Consumer Ambivalence among iPad Early-Buyers

Societies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 73
Author(s):  
Aksel Tjora ◽  
Lisbeth Elvira Levang Løvik ◽  
Frank Hauboff Hansen ◽  
Marianne Skaar
Keyword(s):  
Impression Management ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Consumer Electronics ◽  
Consumer Society ◽  
Self Presentation ◽  
Early Adopters ◽  
Generic Concept ◽  
Central Platform ◽  
The One ◽  
Depth Interviews

This article is motivated by the excessive success of Apple’s iPad, introduced in 2010, questioning the motives for acquiring the product at the time of launch. The purpose is to understand the decision to buy an expensive product that had a fairly undefined use. On the basis of in-depth interviews of ‘early-buyers’ (‘early adopters’) of the iPad, we examine, in this article, justifications for the acquisition of such an ‘open technology’ use. Using theories of consumer society (Veblen, Bauman, Debord), Protestant ethics (Weber), impression management (Goffman, Leary) and group identity (Maffesoli), we develop, in the analysis, the concept of shameful technological impertinence concerning the ambiguity between frugality as value and consumer-based identity related to the latest technology. A reflection on this concept contributes to an understanding of how excessive technology consumption, on the one hand is followed by an unashamed desire to show off new ‘gadgets’ and on the other hand, a more shameful self-presentation defending the purchase. Today, just over ten years after the launch of the iPad and our interviews, the iPad is taken for granted as a central platform for a number of applications, for everything from personal entertainment to work- and school-related use. In light of this, we conclude with a reflection on how shameful technological impertinence as a more generic concept will be relevant in some phases rather than others, as new innovations are brought into use. The project is limited to the first iPad and its users, and further research could investigate a larger array of consumer electronics and how attitudes towards buying could be increasingly influenced by a growing concern about the abuse of natural resources.

Technology Use Among Academics With Disabilities Within a Transforming University

2021 ◽  
pp. 180-196
Author(s):  
Phefumula N. Nyoni ◽  
Tafara Marazi
Keyword(s):  
Technology Use ◽  
Contextual Factors ◽  
The Other ◽  
Academic Society ◽  
Access To Technology ◽  
The One ◽  
University Spaces ◽  
Depth Interviews

This chapter focuses on the experiences of academics with disability within a Zimbabwean university context. Transforming universities under the Education 5.0 policy in Zimbabwe despite its good intentions has revealed some of the unresolved challenges. This chapter reveals how transformation practices especially with increase in technology use have presented opportunities and challenges for disabled sections of academic society within university spaces. The chapter also highlights how academics with disabilities face and how they ultimately negotiate their way within diverse structures that act as enablers on the one hand whilst being equally a source of barriers on the other. In-depth interviews, observations, and literature are used. The chapter concludes by highlighting how the importance of being conscious to contextual factors and embracing day to day experiences could represent opportunities for broadening access to technology and subsequent inclusion of academics with disability whilst also aiding transformation of universities and the broader Zimbabwean society.

scholarly journals From Youthful Experimentation to Professional Identity: Understanding Identity Transitions in Social Media

Young ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petter Bae Brandtzaeg ◽  
María-Ángeles Chaparro-Domínguez
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Professional Identity ◽  
Impression Management ◽  
Growing Up ◽  
Self Presentation ◽  
Experience Of Time ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
Digital Footprints ◽  
Depth Interviews

The process of self-presentation is significantly complicated for people growing up with social media. Many individuals have time-stamped digital footprints in social media from early youth to adulthood. However, little is known about long-term consequences for these individuals, their experience of time and their identity transition from youthful experimentation to a professional identity in social media. Through 15 in-depth interviews, our study explores challenges concerning identity transition and impression management in social media for young adults who have recently entered working life as journalists. Our participants described how they curated their image and self-censored both their previous and current self-generated content in social media. We also find that many have actively opted for passive and peace-keeping self-presentation and use of social media or for turning their usage into private messaging platforms, masking their online identity. Some participants indicated they felt trapped by their own identity making in social media.

scholarly journals “You never really know who’s looking”: Imagined surveillance across social media platforms

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brooke Erin Duffy ◽  
Ngai Keung Chan
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Impression Management ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
Self Monitoring ◽  
Self Presentation ◽  
Social Actors ◽  
Privacy Settings ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Depth Interviews

Social media users are routinely counseled to cultivate their online personae with acumen and diligence. But universal prescriptions for impression management may prove for vexing for college students, who confront oft-conflicting codes of normative self-presentation in digital contexts. Against this backdrop, our research sought to examine the online self-presentation activities of emerging adults (18–24) across an expansive social media ecology that included Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, and Twitter. Drawing upon in-depth interviews with 28 Fcollege-aged youth, we highlight how the imagined surveillance of various social actors steered their self-presentation practices in patterned ways. After exploring three distinct responses to imagined surveillance—including the use of privacy settings, self-monitoring, and pseudonymous accounts (including “Finstas,” or fake + Instagram)—we consider the wider implications of a cultural moment wherein users are socialized to anticipate the incessant monitoring of social institutions: family, educators, and above all, (future) employers.

scholarly journals Vegetarian Diet: Consumption in the Context of Asceticism

Inter ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (19) ◽  
pp. 38-61
Author(s):  
Maria P. Kuz ◽  
Valeriia D. Chernoskutova
Keyword(s):  
Vegetarian Diet ◽  
Rite Of Passage ◽  
Consumer Society ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Mixed Method Design ◽  
Conventional Diet ◽  
Vegetarian Diets ◽  
The One ◽  
Qualitative Part ◽  
Depth Interviews

The research contributes to the study of the consumer practices and internal structure of vegetarian community. On the one part, vegetarians are seen as ascetic lifestyle followers, whereas on the other vegetarians constitute a part of consumer society as evidenced by the rapid growth in specialty “vegetarian market”. Thus, we come up with the contradiction between vegetarian’s demonstrated ascetic idea of abandoning consumption and real engagement into the processes governed by the consumer society. The research is conducted in mixed-method design. The qualitative part is formed by 21 in-depth interviews with “experienced vegetariandieters” of various stages in Russia (vegetarians, vegans, raw-vegans and fruitarians). Furthermore, the survey is built on a random sample of the same empirical object (225 selfcompleted questionnaires) in order to estimate and verify some of the qualitative-part results. The research shows that consumption is central to the process of transition to vegetarian diet as takes the adaptive part: identical goods and services contribute to the group assimilation. The extent of adherence to “vegetarian market” is differentiated according to the type of vegetarian diet. It is supposed that all the vegetarian diets (vegetarianism, veganism, rawism, fruitarianism) can be accounted as unity, which is split into several hierarchical types of diet (stages). The process of transition to various stages (from conventional diet to vegetarianism, from vegetarianism to veganism, from veganism to rawism and fruitarianism) is interpreted via the “rite of passage” theory and its’ three phases (separation, transition and incorporation). The results show that there exists a vegetarian hierarchy, where vegetarian-dieters can sequentially advance their stage via the circular “rite of passage” (which means that each several transition between any of the vegetarianism stages requires anew “rite of passage” to be thoroughly accomplished).

Insight into the motivation of selfie postings: impression management and self-esteem

2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 1879-1892 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathrynn Pounders ◽  
Christine M. Kowalczyk ◽  
Kirsten Stowers
Keyword(s):  
Impression Management ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Comparison Method ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Self Presentation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose Social media enables consumers to regularly express themselves in a variety of ways. Selfie-postings are the new tool for self-presentation, particularly among millennials. The purpose of this paper is to identify the motivations associated with selfie-postings among female millennials. Design/methodology/approach The exploratory study consisted of 15 in-depth interviews with women who were 19-30 years of age. The analysis of data was facilitated by an iterative constant comparison method between data, emerging concepts and extant literature. Findings Textual analysis reveals impression management to be pivotal in understanding the consumer selfie-posting process. Other sub-themes include happiness and physical appearance. In addition, self-esteem was revealed as a motivator and an outcome. Research limitations/implications The study was limited to females who were 19-30 years of age. Future research should include males and a wider age group and focus on empirical testing of the identified themes. Practical implications This research sheds light on the motivation and outcomes associated with selfie-postings. Implications for marketers and advertisers include a better understanding of how to engage consumers to post content in the form of selfies with brands and products. Originality/value This paper fulfils an identified need to explore the growing trend of selfie-postings and contributes to academic literature in consumer behavior by identifying the motivations of selfie-postings.

scholarly journals An Investigation Into Facebook “Liking” Behavior An Exploratory Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 205630511770678 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Ozanne ◽  
Ana Cueva Navas ◽  
Anna S. Mattila ◽  
Hubert B. Van Hoof
Keyword(s):  
Impression Management ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
The United States ◽  
Theory Model ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Information Discovery ◽  
Extended Self ◽  
Self Presentation ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Share Information

This article reports on a study that explored users’ motives in using the Like feature on Facebook. Data were collected by means of in-depth interviews of daily Facebook users in two distinct cultures, the United States and Ecuador. The findings of the study reveal that the Like may be used (1) to acknowledge the gratifications obtained with the use of Facebook, (2) to share information with others, and (3) as a tool for impression management. Four categories of gratified usage motives influencing Liking behavior with distinctly different preferences in each culture, were found. The four categories that gratified usage motives are entertainment, information/discovery, bounding, and self-identification. Three types of underlying motives dominated the use of the Like to share information: presentation of the self, presentation of the extended-self, and social obligations. Finally, the Like can be used as a self-protective tool for impression management. The present findings lay the foundation for a grounded theory model that may guide future research efforts in this area.

The State Policy towards the Homeless in Moldova between the ‘Left Hand’ and the ‘Right Hand’. The Case of Chișinău Shelter

Südosteuropa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-195
Author(s):  
Petru Negură
Keyword(s):  
Homeless People ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
The State ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Left Hand ◽  
Right Hand ◽  
Binary Approach ◽  
The One ◽  
The Right ◽  
Depth Interviews

Abstract The Centre for the Homeless in Chișinău embodies on a small scale the recent evolution of state policies towards the homeless in Moldova (a post-Soviet state). This institution applies the binary approach of the state, namely the ‘left hand’ and the ‘right hand’, towards marginalised people. On the one hand, the institution provides accommodation, food, and primary social, legal assistance and medical care. On the other hand, the Shelter personnel impose a series of disciplinary constraints over the users. The Shelter also operates a differentiation of the users according to two categories: the ‘recoverable’ and those deemed ‘irrecoverable’ (persons with severe disabilities, people with addictions). The personnel representing the ‘left hand’ (or ‘soft-line’) regularly negotiate with the employees representing the ‘right hand’ (‘hard-line’) of the institution to promote a milder and a more humanistic approach towards the users. This article relies on multi-method research including descriptive statistical analysis with biographical records of 810 subjects, a thematic analysis of in-depth interviews with homeless people (N = 65), people at risk of homelessness (N = 5), professionals (N = 20) and one ethnography of the Shelter.

Sensitivity to financial rewards and impression management links to smartphone use and dependence

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-128
Author(s):  
Graham Pluck ◽  
◽  
Pablo Emilio Barrera Falconi ◽  
◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Impression Management ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Reward Sensitivity ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Smartphone Addiction ◽  
Observational Measures ◽  
Instant Messenger ◽  
Smartphone Use

Computational modeling and brain imaging studies suggest that sensitivity to rewards and behaviorist learning principles partly explain smartphone engagement patterns and potentially smartphone dependence. Responses to a questionnaire, and observational measures of smartphone use were recorded for 121 university students. Each participant was also tested with a laboratory task of reward sensitivity and a test of verbal operant conditioning. Twenty-three percent of the sample had probable smartphone addiction. Using multivariate regression, smartphone use, particularly the number of instant messenger services employed, was shown to be significantly and independently predicted by reward sensitivity (a positive relationship), and by instrumental conditioning (a negative relationship). However, the latter association was driven by a subset of participants who developed declarative knowledge of the response-reinforcer contingency. This suggests a process of impression management driven by experimental demand characteristics, producing goal-directed instrumental behavior not habit-based learning. No other measures of smartphone use, including the self-report scale, were significantly associated with the experimental tasks. We conclude that stronger engagement with smartphones, in particular instant messenger services, may be linked to people being more sensitive to rewarding stimuli, suggestive of a motivational or learning mechanism. We propose that this mechanism could underly problem smartphone use and dependence. It also potentially explains why some aspects of smartphone use, such as habitual actions, appear to be poorly measured by technology-use questionnaires. A serendipitous secondary finding confirmed that smartphone use reflected active self-presentation. Our ‘conditioning’ task-induced this behavior in the laboratory and could be used in social-cognition experimental studies.

"THE SYNTHESIS OF WAR AND THEATRE": SOCIO-HUMANITARIAN DISCOURSE ON THE ESSENCE OF TERRORISM

2020 ◽  
pp. 10-23
Author(s):  
Irina V Malygina ◽  
◽  
Anna V Malygina ◽  
Keyword(s):  
International Terrorism ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Cultural Resources ◽  
Self Presentation ◽  
The Status ◽  
World Cultural Heritage ◽  
The One ◽  
Strategic Object ◽  
The Given

The article reveals the heuristic potential of social and humanitarian knowledge in understanding the complex nature of terrorism. The given research optics allows to expand traditional frameworks of considering terrorism as a phenomenon caused by political, ideological and economic factors; to reveal and substantiate deep cultural and mental reasons of the given phenomenon; make sense of terrorism as a destructive form of cultural identity. The cultural and historical origins of modern terrorism, which is closely connected with radical Islam, are analyzed in the civilizational system of coordinates “West–East”. The system of argumentation is based on scientific concepts and current artistic practices that interpret the causes of inter-civilizational tension resulting in international terrorism. The change of the status of the artist in the “epoch of terrorism” is analyzed; the theme of theatricalization and aestheticization of terrorist actions and the role of media in these processes are problematized. As a newest trend, which has not received any serious theoretical reflection, the text considers the phenomenon conditionally designated as “sublimation of terrorist activity into a symbolic sphere”, which is manifested in the destruction of monuments of world cultural heritage, in the orientation to culture as a new strategic object of terrorist attacks, on the one hand, and the use of cultural resources for self-presentation and promotion of their ideology by terrorist organizations, on the other

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