Title: The Impact of Technology
Development
on Youth Consumption Culture: An Empirical Investigation of French
Teenage’ Use of Mobile Phone Device
Abstract: The
importance
of the symbolic properties of goods has been explored among adult
consumers,
but there have been less attention given to the symbolic consumption of
young
people. This study explores the subject of symbolic consumption with
specific
reference to mobile phone devices in the teenage market. Thirty-two
young
people were interviewed and age and sex variations are considered among
four
age ranges: middle school (14-15), high school (16-18), university
(19-22)
and higher education/first job (23-25). The results suggest that mobile
use
is closely bound to the adolescent’s self-concept. Therefore the
social,
the entertainment, the self-construction, the consumption skills and
the
self-creation dimensions linked to teen’s use of the cell phone devices
disappear
or appear with the age. The findings of this study illustrate this
consumption
practises and provides evidence about the symbolic dimension emerging
in
the use of mobile phone devices among different periods of life.
Author: Wided Batat