Nostalgic Consumption Behaviours Among Young Generations in Photography
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Nostalgic consumption behaviours among young generations in photography. A comparative approach of Instagram and analogue photography. Author: Evelyne Morlot Supervisor: Håkan Bohman Student Umeå School of Business and Economics Spring semester 2013 Master thesis 15 hp Acknowledgements This thesis started a few months ago with a list of vague ideas written on the corner of a page. Progressively, with the generous help of the Professors Maj-Britt Johansson-Lindfors and Håkan Bohman, one idea emerged and was developed to achieve the present work. The feeling of accomplishment which follows at the end of every thesis is only made possible by a collaborative work. For this reason, I would like to thank my supervisor Håkan Bohman who provided me precious recommendations throughout this process. I would also like to thank all the respondents who largely contributed to this study by their gentle participation: Abigaïl, Camille, David, Elliot, Nicolas and Rislaine. I had a great satisfaction to conduct these interviews which were rich of ideas and perspectives about photography. Evelyne Morlot Abstract With the emergence of digital cameras on phones, photography has become a popular routine. For some people, it is close to a form of ritual, every moment of the present is preciously archived and possibly shared to relatives on social media. This consumption of photography contrasts radically with the one practiced 20 years ago. Analogue photography was more occasional, because it is more time-consuming and also more costly. However, we observe today a resurgence of analogue photography and more particularly among young generations. This phenomenon goes hand in hand with the popularity of transforming contemporary pictures into old-looking ones with services like Instagram. Therefore, there is a regain of popularity for old devices and old aesthetic among young generations which indicates the existence of nostalgic behaviours among these consumers. The present study aims to explore these two phenomena in order to identify patterns of consumption about nostalgic behaviour among young generations. In order to achieve this, a comparative design is adopted to evaluate the differences and similarities between analogue photography and Instagram practice. This study generates knowledge about the changes in consumption since the digitalization of photography. Indeed, Instagram and analogue photography are rooted in the need to provide alternatives to digital photography which has made photography pervasive and less personal. Instagram and analogue consumers express different attitudes to achieve this desire to create meaning. Thus, the findings reveal that Instagram consumers give value to their everyday life experience by using nostalgic effects. This is interpreted by the fact that old-looking pictures are perceived as more narrative so they have more power to tell stories. Conversely, analogue users renew old practices in order to give more meaning to their photographic experience. It allows them to be more involved in a process of creation which does not exist anymore in digital photography. Key words: analogue photography, digital photography, Instagram, social media, nostalgia, authenticity, consumer behaviour, retro marketing, youth. Table of Contents TABLE OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................................ 8 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 PROBLEM BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 RESEARCH QUESTION: ................................................................................................................................ 3 1.3 PURPOSE OF THE RESEARCH: ....................................................................................................................... 3 1.4 GAP OF KNOWLEDGE ................................................................................................................................. 3 1.5 CHOICE OF SUBJECT ................................................................................................................................... 4 2. METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................................ 5 2.1 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................................................... 5 2.1.1 Preconceptions ........................................................................................................................... 5 2.1.2 Methodological assumptions ..................................................................................................... 5 2.1.3 Research strategy ....................................................................................................................... 6 2.1.4 Scientific view and perspectives ................................................................................................. 6 2.1.5 Research design .......................................................................................................................... 7 2.1.6 Quality criteria ............................................................................................................................ 7 2.1.7 Ethical considerations ................................................................................................................. 8 2.2 DATA COLLECTION METHOD ......................................................................................................................... 9 2.2.1 Selection process ........................................................................................................................ 9 2.2.2 Sample of interviewees .............................................................................................................. 9 2.2.3 Interview template ................................................................................................................... 10 2.2.4 Interview setting....................................................................................................................... 11 2.2.5 Presentation of the results. ...................................................................................................... 11 3. THEORETICAL FRAME OF REFERENCES .............................................................................. 12 3.1 CHOICE OF THEORIES ................................................................................................................................ 12 3.2 WHAT IS CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR? ............................................................................................................. 12 3.2.1. Definition .................................................................................................................................. 12 3.2.2. Segmentation ........................................................................................................................... 13 3.2.3. Personality ................................................................................................................................ 14 3.3 CONSUMERS IN POST-MODERNISM ............................................................................................................ 14 3.4 THE PURSUIT OF AUTHENTICITY .................................................................................................................. 15 3.5 FROM ANALOGUE TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY ............................................................................................... 18 3.5.1 Different techniques, different authenticity ................................................................................. 18 3.5.2 The transformation of the social practice of photography ..................................................... 19 3.6 NOSTALGIA AND CONSUMPTION ................................................................................................................ 20 3.7 NOSTALGIA AND RETRO MARKETING ........................................................................................................... 21 3.7.1 Definition of retro marketing ................................................................................................... 21 3.7.2 Nostalgia and retro marketing in Instagram ........................................................................... 22 3.8 SOCIAL IDENTITY THEORY ......................................................................................................................... 22 3.8.1 definition of Social Identity ..................................................................................................... 22 3.8.2 Social Identity and youth subcultures ...................................................................................... 23 4. EMPIRICAL FINDINGS ................................................................................................................ 25 4.1 DESCRIPTION OF THE RESPONDENTS ........................................................................................................... 25 4.1.1 Respondents using Instagram .................................................................................................. 25 4.1.2 Respondents using analogue photography ............................................................................