Postmodern consumption in India: a conceptualisation and case synthesis

This paper argues that postmodern consumption of material goods is as much a consumption of the goods themselves as that of 'networked' information. In the process, it seeks to explore the plausible connection between social identity formation, identity enhancement by virtue of additional information in the form of 'warrants', identity dissemination by way of social flow of information and 'brand tribalism' culminating in the final act of 'social consumption'. A social theory of postmodern consumption is proposed. We adopt the 'variable based theory building and case based theory testing' method as enumerated in The Sage Handbook of Innovation in Social Research Methods (2011). An emerging economy such as India being the case testing ground adds a contextual element to the model. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on 'active, co-created consumption' and branding and marketing strategies specifically tailored to the digital-global market.