The Transformation of Ideology and Power in the Consumption Society

In the post-Word War II period, the impact of the welfare state in the West, the change in the economic structure and the enormous increase in mass communication brought with it the concept of consumer society as a new phenomenon. Although the concept penetrates all meaning points of life in many respects, the concept of consumer society in this study is examined in the context of the transformation of ideologies and power relations. In this framework, the changes that occurred during the transition from the ideological society to the consumer society and the effects of these changes on the power relations were discussed. On the other hand, the continuous reproduction of social hegemony within the framework of the power of consumer society and its mass media to create demand, determine their lifestyle and control free time has been evaluated in terms of the effect of the ideology of consumption. In addition, the founding role of the like / like principle about the relation of power with consumption has been emphasised. Unlike the ideology-oriented socialization, the final analysis tried to explain with a sociological perspective how the hegemonic processes on the masses evolved into a consumption-oriented structure.