The Discomfort of Things! Tidying-up and decluttering in consumer homes
Journal
Journal of Consumer Research
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2024-05-23
Author(s)
Kushagra Bhatnagar
Abstract
Most relatively affluent consumers are fighting a losing battle with material disorder in their homes. No matter how hard they try to rein it in, material disorder always comes out on top. We argue that part of the continued obduracy of material disorder is because of its messy understanding. We clarify material disorder’s muddled conceptual boundaries by theorizing from an ethnographic investigation of consumers who recently dealt with material disorder through decluttering their homes. Leveraging twin analytical lenses that we label the possessive materialist and post-materialist lenses, we surface two distinct yet inter-dependent forms of disorder (disorder-as-untidiness, and disorder-as-clutteredness) that together plague consumers’ homes. We contribute a pluralized understanding of material disorder, ie, disorders not disorder. We also offer novel insight into agentic struggles between consumers and home possessions over material dis/orders
Language
English
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Publisher
Journal of Consumer Research
Official URL
Division(s)