UC Irvine

This study examines fast food as an instance of everyday subtly disfavored consumption and its influence on consumer identity. Prior research has described how consumers construct identities by using consumption to categorize themselves and others. Prior work has also shown that consumption which evokes strong hedonic responses such as love or hate has significant use in identity and cultural capital processes while consumption which evokes low hedonic responses is less important to identity. This work suggests the importance of understanding consumption characterized by their consumers' subtle hedonic responses. This study applies an ethnoconsumerist framework and employs long interviews and grounded theory analysis to understand fast food culture's integration into lives of young adult American consumers. Findings suggest varied uses to consumer identity and the importance of understanding how such consumption is culturally embedded.