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Materialiserad moral: smartphones, applikationer och etisk konsumtion

Sörum, Niklas and Fuentes, Christian LU orcid (2016) In Kulturella Perspektiv 25(2). p.6-15
Abstract
Ethical consumption, that is, to make certain consumption choices due to personal moral beliefs and values is a growing trend and market. In this article we analyze three ethical smartphone apps developed and marketed in order to help consumers to make ethical product choices: for example, where to find the nearest café selling Fair Trade coffee, whether the salmon in the store is red-listed or if there are any cleaning products that are certified as environmentally friendly. In this text we argue that such digital consumer technologies have some potential to influence consumer actions. The article critically discusses whether and how technologies may shape ethical consumer culture. We conceptualize the smartphone apps and their suggested... (More)
Ethical consumption, that is, to make certain consumption choices due to personal moral beliefs and values is a growing trend and market. In this article we analyze three ethical smartphone apps developed and marketed in order to help consumers to make ethical product choices: for example, where to find the nearest café selling Fair Trade coffee, whether the salmon in the store is red-listed or if there are any cleaning products that are certified as environmentally friendly. In this text we argue that such digital consumer technologies have some potential to influence consumer actions. The article critically discusses whether and how technologies may shape ethical consumer culture. We conceptualize the smartphone apps and their suggested consumer actions in the form of four "consumer models”: the selecting consumer; the status seeking consumer; the information seeking consumer; and the social and productive consumer. The purpose of this article is to analyze the waysthat smartphone applications shape ethical consumption in the sense of suggesting particular representations of who an ethical consumer is and how ethical consumption is accomplished. The normative assumptions of these consumer models are discused. Our analysis build on interviews with app developers, marketing texts, and “object ethnography”, i.e. closed up readings and examinations of smartphone apps as intentional consumer objects equipped with scripts for consumer. (Less)
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author
and
organization
alternative title
Materialized moralities: Smartphone, apps and ethical consumption
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Kulturella Perspektiv
volume
25
issue
2
pages
6 - 15
publisher
Föreningen Kulturella perspektiv
language
Swedish
LU publication?
yes
id
383433e8-399b-4081-bd51-e3a513d0f77e
date added to LUP
2016-08-16 09:22:42
date last changed
2022-03-14 16:39:26
@article{383433e8-399b-4081-bd51-e3a513d0f77e,
  abstract     = {{Ethical consumption, that is, to make certain consumption choices due to personal moral beliefs and values is a growing trend and market. In this article we analyze three ethical smartphone apps developed and marketed in order to help consumers to make ethical product choices: for example, where to find the nearest café selling Fair Trade coffee, whether the salmon in the store is red-listed or if there are any cleaning products that are certified as environmentally friendly. In this text we argue that such digital consumer technologies have some potential to influence consumer actions. The article critically discusses whether and how technologies may shape ethical consumer culture. We conceptualize the smartphone apps and their suggested consumer actions in the form of four "consumer models”: the selecting consumer; the status seeking consumer; the information seeking consumer; and the social and productive consumer. The purpose of this article is to analyze the waysthat smartphone applications shape ethical consumption in the sense of suggesting particular representations of who an ethical consumer is and how ethical consumption is accomplished. The normative assumptions of these consumer models are discused. Our analysis build on interviews with app developers, marketing texts, and “object ethnography”, i.e. closed up readings and examinations of smartphone apps as intentional consumer objects equipped with scripts for consumer.}},
  author       = {{Sörum, Niklas and Fuentes, Christian}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{6--15}},
  publisher    = {{Föreningen Kulturella perspektiv}},
  series       = {{Kulturella Perspektiv}},
  title        = {{Materialiserad moral: smartphones, applikationer och etisk konsumtion}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/11672972/S_rum_Fuentes_s.pdf}},
  volume       = {{25}},
  year         = {{2016}},
}