The Authenticity Work of Continued and Estranged Consumption Practices

Abstract

The elusive nature of authenticity in postmodern consumer culture, and the accordingly complex authenticity work individuals engage in, has been increasingly thematised in the scholarly discourse. Yet, there are to date only few approaches to conceptualise authenticity work, which is why this thesis is dedicated to deriving first conceptual frameworks. To build these frameworks, the research looks at authenticity work through the lens of practice theory and treats authenticity work itself as a broader practice, under which multiple practices can be bundled. The two focal practices this thesis investigates are thus continued and estranged practices in the context of film photography.

The first objective of this thesis is to understand how authenticity is produced through the continued practice of film photography, in contrast to the new practice of digital photography intended as its replacement. The second focus of this thesis is then the management of authenticity in the face of estranged practices. Estranged practices are thereby pertaining to hybrid practices that develop through the merging of continued practices and their newer counterparts. In the context of film photography, this thesis thus looks at retro-branded cameras that mix elements of film and digital photography, and eventually prompt estranged practices that are neither entirely the same as the practice of digital, nor as the practice of film photography.

Methodologically, the research is situated within critical realism. Through intensive research in the form of 17 in-depth interviews and complementary visual material, the thesis therefore aims at deriving conceptual frameworks that may be highly dependent on the context of film photography, but still hold the potential to derive first generalisable conceptualisations of authenticity work.

The research findings showed that the production of authenticity through continued practices is defined through three modified elements of practice. Practitioners thus derived their authenticity work through the 1) tangible materials of film photography, such as the unique, physical negatives that are produced, through the 2) extensive competences, which had to be acquired through committed effort and are necessary to operate a film camera, and lastly through 3) personal meaning, as the practice often served as a bond to the individual’s past and became a significant attribute of their general identity. In addition, the importance of temporal aspects was identified, as practitioners used the continued practice to align themselves with slowed down temporal experiences.

Pertaining to the management of authenticity, three main strategies were deployed to manage the confrontation with potential estranged practices. Practitioners thus either 1) rejected estranged practice categorically to protect their authenticity work, 2) consolidated them in the dichotomy of film and digital photography they were accustomed to, or 3) accepted the hybrid practice, without necessarily perceiving it as estranged.