摘要：This paper investigates the consumer and the relationship between self, identity and consuptio n practices in light of postmodern theory. The main argument centers around the idea that the postmodern consumer creates meaning in his or her life through consumption and utilizes brands that have acquired cultural meanings through advertising as symbolic resources to form a personal narrative. As the postmodern condition de-centralizes and fragments the self, the consumer tries to form a personal narrative that creates meaning in his or her life. This process results in consuming objects for not only their functional reasons, but also for their symbolic meanings. Thus, the consumer beco mes an active audience and interpreter of cultural resources such as brands, and utilizes them for a collection of cultural artifacts which symb olize his or her extended self.
