Atmospheres of consumption: Shopping as involuntary vulnerability

Shopping is predominantly characterised as an activity realized by purposive subjects in which emotion is sometimes identified as a contributory factor. This article argues that contemporary retail environments also promote shopping through affective forces that facilitate the subdual of intentional...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inEmotion, space and society Vol. 10; pp. 35 - 43
Main Author Healy, Stephen
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2014
Subjects
Affective atmosphere
Bio-politics
Consumption assemblage
Shopping
Subjectification
Thermal comfort
Affective atmosphere
Thermal comfort
Shopping
Bio-politics
Consumption assemblage
Subjectification
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Summary:Shopping is predominantly characterised as an activity realized by purposive subjects in which emotion is sometimes identified as a contributory factor. This article argues that contemporary retail environments also promote shopping through affective forces that facilitate the subdual of intentional subjectivity. It is shown how, in addition to stimulating purposive subjects, the affective atmosphere of these spaces may regulate the auto-affective attention of potential shoppers exposing them to further, relatively unfocused inducements to shop. This quality of the affective atmosphere of these spaces is explored through a focus upon the ambient ‘platform’ air conditioning provides for this achievement. The discussion explores the implications for the affective, subjective and bio-political dimensions of the socio-material assemblages constituting contemporary consumption more generally.
ISSN:1755-4586
1878-0040
DOI:10.1016/j.emospa.2012.10.003