Thinking Differently Consuming Differently: Exploring Marginalized Gen Z’s Psychological Trauma as a Catalyst to Alternative Consumption During the Covid-Era

Author

Sarah Frankel, University of Tennessee, KnoxvilleFollow

Date of Award

8-2023

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Management

Major Professor

Michelle L Childs

Committee Members

Youn-Kyung Kim, Michelle Childs, Stefanie Benjamin, and Mitsunori Misawa

Abstract

This study utilizes a fledging theory, alternative hedonism, as a means to examine the ways in which GenZ consumers are finding fulfillment outside of material consumption during the COVID-era. I seek to understand the lived experiences of GenZ consumers who experienced compounding traumas due to race, gender, mental health or economic standings, from March 2020 to now. Specifically, this study aims to deepen our understanding of alternative hedonism while also amplifying voices of traditionally marginalized consumers. The methods of in-depth interviews, closet interviews, and participant photographs of apparel items were utilized to unpack the ways in which trauma manifested into alternative consumption practices. The six themes the researcher identified in this study include: re-evaluation of consumption, developing joyous hobbies, the purge, The Great Resignation, awakening of the self, and paradox of speed.

Recommended Citation

Frankel, Sarah, "Thinking Differently Consuming Differently: Exploring Marginalized Gen Z’s Psychological Trauma as a Catalyst to Alternative Consumption During the Covid-Era. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2023.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/8656