Researcher(s):
team 7582 Mika Mandeville Blake Slattengren
ENVS course(s): 330 Initiated: March 2016 Completed: April 2016 Go to project site
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This research seeks to evaluate consumer incentives in advocating for social and ecological change. We focused our research on used commodities, specifically the second hand clothing industry, exploring the possible social and ecological benefits associated with this industry. We found clothing to be of particular interest because although textile is a reusable commodity, it has gradually been perceived as more of a disposable good due to trends such as fast fashion, causing an increasing amount of waste. Thriftiness as a trend has also been gaining popularity, and works within this second hand clothing industry. Our study explores the interesting relationship between the two through exploring the consumer experience of "thrifting". We analyzed a sample of Portland second hand stores' Yelp reviews and systematically coded them for consumer values. We found that the vast majority of reviews were concerned with hedonic (pleasurable and recreational) and economic values rather than ethically concerned values (social and ecological). This study provides insight into how incremental social change may happen through consumers, despite their intentions. Additionally, our research brings into question how Yelp provides a certain structure for some values to be expressed over others. We also began a pilot study looking at spatial distribution of second hand stores in Portland, using GIS to map the stores along side various demographic data. Further studies may continue with our framework for consumer review analysis, as well as focus on issues of equitable access to redistributed clothing as we started with our spatial analysis.
The framing question that guided our study was; within a globalized economy, what forces drive individuals towards socially and environmentally conscious actions? From this, our focus question was; what values do consumers in Portland express regarding their decision to purchase clothing from second hand stores?