How consumers are governed as mobile consumer subjects

What is it about?

This article explores how a multinational corporation is involved in forming consumer identities—making up the subjects of consumption—by shaping the interpretive repertoires and cultural practices that are available for consumers as members of the emerging information society. The article elaborates on the ways in which the corporation invokes a discourse of shareholder value in its visionary strategic narrative entitled Mobile Information Society, and how this discourse operates to mobilize consumer conduct in particular ways, by making up, framing and formatting the consumer as a mobile subject of the global economy.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

The paper shows how Nokia, a large multi-national company, invokes a discourse of shareholder value in its strategic narrative and how this discourse operates to mobilize consumer conduct in particular ways by forging connections between particular work-based identities and particular features of the ICTs. This narrative works to upgrade, reinforce and modify the skills of consumers and to shape their professional identities in ways that enhance their mobility, flexibility and efficiency in the labor market and thus maximize shareholder value.