Media, Identity and Pattern of Consumption: a Theoretical Approach

The present descriptive research aims to examine the relationship between the two variables of “media” and “audience/actors pattern of consumption” in the society. To this aim, the study answers a number of questions including: Do media merely reflect the audience’s needs or do they play a key role in production and reproduction of these needs? On the other hand, how do the audience’s needs affect the media content? Reviewing the existing theoretical approaches to the media impacts on the audience/actor’s pattern of consumption, the present article attempts to introduce a different analytical pattern based on the theory of constructivism in which the consumptive behavior of audience emerges based on his impression of “identity”. In other words, individuals pick up a certain consumptive style based on the notion they have of their own social status and identity. The role of media in defining the status and shaping the identity of the audience is very important. Thus, in the suggested pattern for explaining the relationship between “identity”, “media” and “pattern of consumption”, these three elements form a triangle in which each angle strengthens and influences other angles.