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Symbolic Consumption of a Car: Construction and Perception of Sign Value

Student: Piliar Polina

Supervisor: Rostislav V. Kononenko

Faculty: Faculty of Social Sciences

Educational Programme: Sociology (Bachelor)

Final Grade: 8

Year of Graduation: 2020

The theoretical framework of the study is based on the theory of J. Baudrillard, the theory of material interaction, as well as the works of both J. Urry and D. Miller on automobility. It comprehensively covers and illustrates the process of perception and construction of the sign value of a car. By conducting qualitative interviews with car owners, expert interviews, and qualitative content analysis of advertising campaigns (including information on the companies’ official website, advertising brochures, and commercials) of the D-class cars, the process of symbolic consumption was studied at each of its stages, including: constructing the sign value of a car by the company, perception of this value by the consumer, as well as the production of signs and meanings that constitute the sign value by the owner of the car. In the work, the main categories of signs were identified and compared, forming the sign value of the selected models at each stage.

Full text (added May 27, 2020)

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