THE PHILOSOPHY OF CONSUMPTION IN A POSTINDUSTRIAL SOCIETY: ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS AND VALUE TRANSFORMATION

In a postindustrial society, consumption loses its purely utilitarian function and becomes a central mechanism for constructing identity, social status, and cultural differentiation. The shift from an industrial production economy to an economy of signs, meanings, and experiences transforms not only consumer behavior patterns but also the nature of economic values themselves. This article offers a philosophical interpretation of consumption as a form of social expression, a bearer of symbolic capital, and a tool of cultural design. It analyzes the economic consequences of changing consumer logic, including a shift from material possession to image-driven self-presentation, the rising importance of intangible assets, and ethically motivated practices. The article identifies new forms of inequality driven by access to cultural and digital consumption resources and concludes with a call to rethink the relationship between the economic and symbolic in the context of cultural capitalism.