Singular Consumption
Type
working paper
Date Issued
2025
Author(s)
Abstract
Contemporary consumer culture is increasingly governed by the value of singularity-the ideal that goods, experiences, and selves should be perceived as unique, non-interchangeable, and incomparable. This article theorizes singular consumption as a distinct consumption logic shaped by the sociocultural turn toward singularity. We conceptualize singular consumption as emerging from a singularization regime, a macro-level configuration of economic, social, technological, and ideological forces that elevate singularity as a normative cultural good in consumption. Within this regime, we identify the defining characteristics of singular consumption, delineate its core motivational and evaluative orientations, formative dimensions and interpretive markers. Finally, we theorize three paradoxes that structure the lived experience of singular consumption and point to future research avenues. By articulating the cultural logic of singular consumption, this research contributes to the theorization of consumption in post-industrial consumer societies and offers new insight into the dynamics of meaning-making and distinction in platformmediated marketplaces.
Language
English
Keywords
singular consumption
uniqueness
distinctiveness
value
sociology
Subject(s)
Division(s)
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
open.access
Name
03072025_singular_consumption_working_paper.pdf
Size
504.5 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
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