The search for authenticity: How hipsters transformed from a local subculture to a global consumption collective
by Alfrey, Lauren M., M.A., GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY, 2010, 94 pages; 1475357

Abstract:

New media technologies and the global exchange of goods have dramatically expanded opportunities for identity signaling. Previously hidden or distant populations are now seen through online search engines, and images of American culture are being exported to far reaching corners of the developed and developing world. Despite these significant social changes, however, familiar patterns of identity signaling persist. These developments raise questions of how cultures and subcultures are maintained in an ever more complex social landscape. Using the hipster subculture as a case study, this paper will examine the role of taste and of consumption in allowing subgroups to maintain internal cohesion and social distinction. Using theoretical and empirical analyses, including a survey to a mixed sample, the creation of a taste scale, and statistical analyses of the relationship between consumption preferences and attitudes about conformity and divergence, this paper examines how identity status is reified through collective expressions of taste.

 
AdviserD. Linda Garcia
SchoolGEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY
SourceMAI/ 48-05, p. , May 2010
Source TypeThesis
SubjectsCultural anthropology; Communication; Social structure
Publication Number1475357
Adobe PDF Access the complete dissertation:
 

» Find an electronic copy at your library.
  Use the link below to access a full citation record of this graduate work:
  http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl%3furl_ver=Z39.88-2004%26res_dat=xri:pqdiss%26rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation%26rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:1475357
  If your library subscribes to the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT) database, you may be entitled to a free electronic version of this graduate work. If not, you will have the option to purchase one, and access a 24 page preview for free (if available).

About ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
With over 2.3 million records, the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT) database is the most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses in the world. It is the database of record for graduate research.

The database includes citations of graduate works ranging from the first U.S. dissertation, accepted in 1861, to those accepted as recently as last semester. Of the 2.3 million graduate works included in the database, ProQuest offers more than 1.9 million in full text formats. Of those, over 860,000 are available in PDF format. More than 60,000 dissertations and theses are added to the database each year.

If you have questions, please feel free to visit the ProQuest Web site - http://www.proquest.com - or call ProQuest Hotline Customer Support at 1-800-521-3042.