ALL EPISODES

Mini Pod

CONSUMER CULTURE:

MEDIA'S INFLUENCE

Parasocial Relationships - a one-sided relationship in which a person develops a strong sense of connection, intimacy, or familiarity with someone they don’t know often celebrities or media personalities.

In part 2 of the Consumer Culture episode we’ll discuss how digital media increasingly influences our consumption behaviors, specifically looking at television shows, movies and social media influencers.

Consumer Culture: Capitalism or Necessity?Jalen

00:00 / 26:11

EPISODE MATERIALS

FOR THE GIRLS WHO GET IT...

The MIT Press Reader. “A Brief History of Consumer Culture.” The MIT Press Reader, 20 Apr. 2021, thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/a-brief-history-of-consumer-culture/.

DISCUSSION Q's

FOR THE GIRLS WHO WANNA GET INTO IT...

Do you need it or did you just see it?

Think about your last 5 purchases, what were the main motivating factors for why you decided to buy it?

VOCABULARY LIST:

BECAUSE READING IS WHAT ? FUNDAMENTAL .

Discernment (n) - the ability to make good judgement
Gaffe (n) - an unintentional act causing embarrassment
Incorrigible (adj) - not able to be corrected, improved or reformed
Continence (n) - self-control over desires and actions
Probity (n) - virtue, integrity
Felicitous (adj) - well chosen or suited to the circumstances, delightful, pleasing
Posit (v) - to suggest or put forward an idea clearly
Elegiac (adj) - mournful or melancholic
Spurious (adj) - false but designed to seem plausible
Prolix (adj) - using too many words; long-winded

WORKS CITED

BECAUSE THIS IS A PROFESSIONAL GIG, MAMA.

Al Jazeera English. “A New Form of Capitalism: The Influencer Culture | al Jazeera Untangles.” YouTube, 21 Aug. 2025, www.youtube.com/watch?v=vl3Kkjbvryk. Accessed 31 Aug. 2025.

Godman, Heidi. “Do Parasocial Relationships Fill a Loneliness Gap?” Harvard Health, 30 Sept. 2024, www.health.harvard.edu/blog/do-parasocial-relationships-fill-a-loneliness-gap-202409303074. Accessed 30 Aug. 2025.

Kutz, Kennedi, et al. “Social Media Influencers’ Impact on Consumer Purchasing Decisions.” Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association, vol. 2023, no. 4, 2024, p. 4, docs.rwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1157&context=nyscaproceedings. Accessed 30 Aug. 2025.