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Dissertation
Pedal power: navigating the tension between consumption and creativity in online guitar effects pedal culture
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Drexel University
Jul 2024
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00010846
Abstract
This dissertation research aimed to explore the tension at the center of an online community of consumers better to understand the relationship and interplay between consumption and production. Additionally, this research sought to explore how social status and identity were articulated and negotiated in the community and what implications these may hold. Through ethnographic and qualitative analysis, this research reveals the complexity, pervasiveness, and potential generativity embedded in contemporary consumer culture. The objects at the center of the pedal community and the media and communication phenomena extending from them imbue users with a sense of creative freedom and pleasure. Conversely, the landscape in which these phenomena play out is situated within communication technologies that encourage vast opportunities for marketing and consumerism, the continued expansion of the means of consumption, and strong influence. The central tension of pedal culture is mirrored in other communities of fans, enthusiasts, and consumers in both digital and physical spaces. The forces at play in this communication and across this discussion manifest in diverse ways and with different impacts, and they are constantly evolving. This dissertation research focuses on one moment in time and one specific context as a microcosm of larger consumer society.
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Details
- Title
- Pedal power
- Creators
- Nick Coffman
- Contributors
- Wesley Shumar (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- 174 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- College of Arts and Sciences; Communication, Culture, and Media; Communication; Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991021906505904721