Consumer Activism - Conceptions of Consumer Movement

Conceptions of Consumer Movement

Three elements are necessary, according to Touraine, for the ideology of a social movement: identity, opposition, and totality. Identity is the self and collective identity of the members of the social movement. Opposition is the identification and description of the adversary. Totality is the indication that objectives will be achieved through struggle. This conception has been appropriate for the other movements, including the lesbian and gay, civil rights, and feminist movements. Consumers are cast in the social movement as common people, while the activists are those leading them into the conflict with business executives and elites. Activist members do not only target corporations and attempt to change their behavior, but they seek to elevate the awareness of consumers collectively with the purpose of altering consumer culture.

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