Abstract
Alienation has repeatedly been the subject of scholarly work across disciplines. The popularity of the concept has peaked and troughed over many years, but it sporadically re-enters public consciousness when commentators reach for a word to describe disconnection, estrangement or remoteness. In sociological theorisations alienation has frequently been associated with work relations, with many drawing on Marx. The concept gained prominence within critical theory, including Adorno, with attention focussed upon culture and society. Nonetheless, use of the concept declined due to criticism that it imagined an 'essential' human nature. However, alienation theory is flourishing once more, with a notable recent contribution by Jaeggi, who attempts to de-essentialise the concept. This thesis traces the concept via these three theorists, taking a sociological approach.The purpose of this inductive study is to advance a conceptualisation of alienation, from work to shopping and consumption, that reflects contemporary digital practice. This research illuminates the relationship between online shopping, including use of gig-economy services, and alienation. It supplements theoretical studies of alienation by analysing primary data focussed upon everyday experiences. It complements existing studies of the gig economy that tend to concentrate on gig-economy workers. This thesis also contributes to consumption studies by drawing these facets together via online shopping practice, to facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of Western late-capitalist existence.
Interviews were conducted in different societal contexts: Brighton, England and Reykjavik, Iceland, with the data thematically analysed. I find that online shopping is directly alienating, with participants consistently expressing discontent and malaise with the practice – indicating disturbed relations of appropriation. Engaging in online shopping may also diminish empathy for others and compromise affection for the natural environment, indirectly alienating individuals from those relations.
The focus of society has shifted from relatively stable production-based, to relatively transitory consumption-based practice, with forms of identity adjusting accordingly. I theorise that within this environment, four alienating relational processes have become prominent: marketised cultural relations, atomised human relations, incongruous relations to digital ‘space’, and intractable relations to time. I posit that these contextual aspects overlap and interweave with one another, inducing alienating online shopping practice. Online shopping therefore encapsulates the four alienating contextual factors, whilst reinforcing that context. Consequently, late-capitalist consumer society comprises a mutually reinforcing alienating context and alienating practice.
| Date of Award | Oct 2025 |
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| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisor | Raphael Schlembach (Supervisor), Mark Erickson (Supervisor) & Tom Bunyard (Supervisor) |