Construindo identidades: uma análise do consumo de sujeitos que se reconhecem geeks sob o aspecto da regionalidade

Abstract

According to Sugarbaker (1998), geek is a person engaged and fascinated in certain topics, that meets with others who have the same interest to share experiences. The topics are related to science, technology and culture, which are related to the universe of fantasy and science fiction (i.e. films, comics, series, books and games). The study aims to understand how the consumption of products related to geeks influence the construction of the identity of individuals belonging to this tribe. The research is part of those studies that use the Consumer Culture Theory (CCT) approach, which considers the cultural complexity that is part of the diverse social contexts, considering the heterogeneity of cultural groupings and not only a homogeneous system of shared meanings (ARNOULD; THOMPSON, 2005). Data was collected through interviews, from a semi - structured script, with 16 consumers who identified themselves as geeks and lived in Uberlândia/MG or São Paulo/SP. Data was treated through content analysis based on the thematic categorization. The results suggest that the consumption of tribe-oriented products, such as T-shirts, begins during childhood and is extended into adulthood. Belonging to a geek tribe causes the individual to mirror other members, in a way that individual identity is built and reinforced from the contact with the way of acting, thinking and consuming of other geeks who are considered important by the individual. The characters influence the personal values built up over the life of the geek, with the need to externalize their tastes, even in a private setting. In this sense, geek products have symbolic value for the individual, so that they come to represent the extension of the "self" of the consuming one, as a way of demonstrating their personal values.