On Consumed Democracy: The Expansion of Consumer Choice, Its Causal Effects on Political Engagement, and its Implications for Democracy

This project investigated the notion that exposure to commercial advertising decreases citizens’ interest in common concerns and collective actions, while increasing citizens’ interest in individual action by means of consumption. Of particular interest is how this affects traditional political participation. Thus, the project deals with issues relating to the development of democracy. Firstly, in the sense of changes in how responsibilities are distributed between individuals and collectives. Secondly in the sense of changes in how interests and issues of citizens are considered possible or impossible to influence. The project was completed in fall 2018.

Full text of doctoral thesis and thesis information

Participating researcher:
Johan Wejryd
Doctoral student at Department of Government
Uppsala University

 

Conference presentations

• Causal Impact of Political Consumption on Conventional Political Participation, APSA Annual Meeting in Boston, USA, August 2018 and ECPR General Conference Hamburg, Germany, August 2018.
• Road Signs to Serfdom? Elusive Suggestions from a Survey Experiment on Participation Effects of Consumer Advertising, Statsvetenskapliga förbundets 46:e årsmöte i Visby, October 2016.
• Advertising vs Public Autonomy – How Advertising’s Promotion of Consumption Can't Contribute to Democratic Legitimacy, the 7^th International Political Marketing Conference, Stockholm, September 2013.
• Commercial Advertising Affecting Political Participation – A Conceptual Framework for the Study of Politics as a Way of Buying Oneself a Self, the Midwestern Political Science Association, Chicago, April 2012.
• Reklam, identitet, politik, Statsvetenskapliga förbundets 39:e årsmöte Örebro, October 2009.

Conference presentations:

• Road Signs to Serfdom? Elusive Suggestions from a Survey Experiment on Participation Effects of Consumer Advertising, presenterat på Statsvetenskapliga förbundets 46:e årsmöte i Visby, oktober 2016.
• Advertising vs Public Autonomy – How Advertising’s Promotion of Consumption Can't Contribute to Democratic Legitimacy, presenterat på the 7^th International Political Marketing Conference i Stockholm, september 2013.
• Commercial Advertising Affecting Political Participation – A Conceptual Framework for the Study of Politics as a Way of Buying Oneself a Self, presenterat på the Midwestern Political Science Association i Chicago, april 2012.
• Reklam, identitet, politik, presenterat på Statsvetenskapliga förbundets 39:e årsmöte i Örebro, oktober 2009.