Exam 14: The Culture of Consumption

Country singers Marty Stewart and Travis Tritt and their record label decided to change the culture of the Country and Western music scene.With their now famous 'No Hats' tour,the singers abandoned conventional country and western fashion (they threw away their hats,let their hair grow long and wore t-shirts)and tried to appeal to larger and younger audiences with a grinding sexy message.The process that these singers went through is best described as a ________.

Product numbers are reduced as they make their way down the path from conception to consumption,a process called ________.

A myth that is common to many cultures is called a monomyth.

The culture we live in creates the meaning of everyday products; these meanings move through a society to consumers.Meaning transfer is largely accomplished by ________.

In the modern holiday rituals of Christmas,the figures of Christ and Santa can be seen as binary opposites; one promotes selflessness while the other promotes materialism.

Once a culture is established it doesn't change.An apparent change in a culture is simply the emergence of a new culture.

Pavel was an inventor.He read that there were several million people who could not sleep at night until they looked under the bed.He invented a light that could be put under a bed and went on automatically when someone looked there.Pavel's product is designed to help people perform a ________.

Which of the following is an object that is admired strictly for its beauty or because it inspires an emotional reaction?

Through the process of ________,objects associated with sacred events or people become sacred in their own right.

Which of the following best supports the argument that tourism can be seen as a sacred experience?

In many cultures,stories feature talking animals that act as mediating figures.

Shift Corporation could not sell its premium running shoe at $49.99,but when they were priced at $159.99 the shoes sold out of the stores almost overnight.Shift had just experienced the snob effect characteristically explained by the sociological model of fashion.

The trickle-down theory of fashion says that fashion moves from the upper classes to the lower classes.

Anna's best friend Aubrey was getting married.Anna spent a lot of time thinking of the perfect gift.She was so excited about the gift that she gave it to Aubrey before the wedding.Aubrey cried and told Anna that she would never in her life have a better friend.Reformulation is the proper term for the new bond between Anna and Aubrey.

A ________ is a very short-lived fashion.

Profane consumption involves consumer objects and events that are ordinary.

The diffusion of innovations is the process whereby a new product,service or idea spreads through a population.

Romance novels often follow a cultural formula.

A female writer looks at a common myth of the Western culture and writes a novel applying that myth to fictional modern characters.Using the concept of a cultural production process,explain how this writer will market her ideas to her readers.

Culture is best described as a society's ________.