This conceptual paper develops a phenomenological account of prosumption to examine how sustainability is experienced, strained, and enacted under conditions of deep mediatization and acceleration. We show how speed reorganizes attention, skill, affect, and design, reshaping the temporal conditions under which ethical action becomes possible. Prosumers—simultaneously consumers and producers—navigate tensions between market imperatives and ethical commitments not only through choice, but through the rhythms of everyday practices that organize care, recognition, and responsibility. Drawing on Ritzer and critical social theory, the paper argues that deep mediatization intensifies prosumption by transforming engagement into continuous circuits of value creation and capture. This temporal compression blurs distinctions between production and consumption while undermining the reflective intervals necessary for ethical experience. Sustainability is therefore reframed not as a policy objective or abstract ideal, but as a lived, temporal practice of dwelling that depends on the preservation of relational and embodied rhythms. We introduce the concept of viscosity to describe practices and spaces that resist instant circulation and allow meanings, commitments, and relationships to thicken over time. The paper thus reconceptualizes sustainability as a temporal and relational achievement.

This paper introduces spectrality as a conceptual lens for understanding how unresolved histories, affective residues, and absent presences shape contemporary consumption. Drawing on cultural theory, memory studies, and Consumer Culture Theory, it argues that hauntings—material, spatial, and symbolic—are constitutive features of market life rather than anomalies. Through analyses of object biographies, disposal rituals, inhabited spaces, and institutional structures, the paper reveals how consumers navigate spectral tensions in everyday practices. It distinguishes between spirits (domesticated pasts) and spectres (unsettled contradictions), showing how both animate consumer behaviour, brand narratives, and market design. This spectral perspective challenges dominant consumer research frameworks by foregrounding absence, ambiguity, and non-linearity in consumer experience. Ultimately, the paper provides critical and managerial insights into how memory, value, and identity are continually negotiated through the presence of what has been repressed, discarded, or forgotten. Spectrality offers a powerful framework for rethinking consumption as haunted, affectively charged, and historically embedded.

Solidarity is a vital thread that binds humanity, transcending differences to create enduring connections between people. While grand acts of unity often capture attention, a more fundamental solidarity manifests in interactions and societal participation. Consumption, inherently social, reflects this interconnectedness and is shaped through cultural and psychosocial discourse. Individuals learn or unlearn solidary actions through their engagement in society, where membership and rules arise from established norms and practice scripts. Despite its foundational role, solidarity does not automatically imply consensus or even joint action; power imbalances influence how different individuals experience and enact solidarity. Social movements, for instance, reflect this dynamic, serving as responses to societal challenges and failures. Prior research distinguishes between large-scale social movements and smaller subcultural events, recognizing the complexity of solidarity across varying contexts. This dissertation focuses on the role of solidarity in everyday consumption, aiming to uncover its nuanced impacts beyond grand movements. By examining how solidarity operates in daily interactions, we aim to provide fresh insights into its significance in mundane contexts. The research will explore elements of solidarity through phenomenological inquiry, considering the influences of media, algorithms, and recommender systems, particularly in the context of Indian media. Ultimately, we seek to highlight how solidarity shapes daily life, offering a deeper understanding of its pervasive yet often overlooked presence in our everyday actions and exchanges.

The digital world offers consumers the ability to seamlessly transition between various lifestyle narratives, enabling the construction of diverse online identities. However, the potential for liberation and fluidity in digital consumption is often hindered by digital divides, such as access to technology, digital literacy, and socioeconomic disparities. Semiotic analysis of consumer narratives reveals how individuals navigate and adopt lifestyle mobilities, constructing their identities through digital consumption. These narratives, shaped by online content, advertisements, and social media interactions, allow for the exploration of different personas and self-expressions. Yet, the extent to which these lifestyle choices are actualized is constrained by factors like platform algorithms, cultural biases, and unequal access. By examining these narratives, we can understand how the nature of digital consumption supports and structures personal identity construction, highlighting the complexities of building and navigating a bricolage of identities in the digital landscape.

As societies transition from offline to online spaces, the concept of domesticity is evolving. In this digital age, where entities are ephemeral and immaterial, the traditional notions of ownership and control are increasingly challenged. Consumers no longer create domestic spaces solely through physical possession of items; instead, they navigate virtual spaces where ownership is often transient and decentralized. The rise of digital platforms, shared economies, and virtual environments reshapes how individuals conceptualize home and privacy. Through the lens of consumer journeys, we see how the context of these new environments influences the meaning of privacy, with digital footprints, data ownership, and virtual interactions redefining boundaries. Understanding privacy in this context requires recognizing the shifting power dynamics between consumers and platforms, where control over personal data and virtual spaces is often ambiguous. By exploring these complexities, we gain a deeper insight into how consumers shape their domestic spaces in the digital era.