Journal of Communication Research
Year:2010 | Volume:17 | Issue:1 (61)|Papers Count:7

Theoretically, there is a cause and effect relationship between the two concepts of "religion" and "life style", so much so that some experts maintain that religion has a key role in shaping the people's life style.Of all religions, Islam is distinguished for its effects on people's life style; it not only offers general principles and values, but also introduces customs and practical codes regarding different aspects of man's life. Therefore, the life style Islam presents, provides a specific engineered plan to be applied in people's personal and social lives.From the viewpoints of West schools and theorists, consumption is one of the significant components of life style, as the Islam embeds numerous regulations for it. Thus, the present article, first, defines life style and the status of consumption in it from the Western thinkers' standpoint. Referring to some of the Islamic doctrines and principles which have a remarkable influence on religious life style, the article, then, states the proper principles of consumption in Islam and the role of National Media in promoting it.

The present article examines a range of issues including theoretical discussions on improving production and consumption system in order to achieve economic justice, the role and function of mass media in boosting the principles of Liberal Capitalism, the need to review the trend of allocating and distributing production and income sources in order to revise the consumption pattern, and reviewing the organized role of mass media in revising the pattern of production and consumption.Based on the hypothesis the research seeks to ratify, media could create a suitable mentality on acknowledging the need to revise and review the trend of allocating and distributing production and income sources, and, hence, could play a role in promoting and supervising in the process of revising consumption pattern.Given the significance of justice in achieving the main economic, political and cultural objectives and the role of revising the pattern of consumption in this regard, the article also tries to study the function of mass media, particularly National Media.

TV commercials are communicative texts through which meaning flows. The present article seeks to explore the relationship between the concept of consumption and commercials using a semiotic approach. Employing a nonprobability sampling, the research examined 20 commercials aired from IRIB's Channel 3 within the last three months of the Iranian year 1387 (2008).Semiotics of the samples indicates that TV ads, in general, try to depict an image of an ideal consumer through a number of techniques like imitation of reality, employing scientific tools and nature-related components, emphasis on the brand-name and personification of goods. These texts represent an ideal consumption for an ideal consumer who lives in a perfect, infallible, ideal and dream-like world. This world is the world of commercials text.

The present study examines the relationship between watching TV ads and consumption pattern of Tehran's children and adolescents. Employing multistage random sampling, the researchers chose the subjects of the study from Tehran. The research was carried out through a survey and the subjects were 734 children and adolescents (369 boys and 365 girls) between 7 to 14 years of age as well as their parents. A researcher-made questionnaire was used to collect data of the study which were processed using Pearson correlation test, one-way variance analysis and Tukey (HSD) test. The findings show that there is a positive relationship between watching TV commercials and the level of consuming "snacks", utilizing "equipment", and going "sightseeing". The findings also indicate that the more individuals are exposed to instructive TV commercials, the more "economical and regulationobservant" their behavior will become.

Television is one of the influential factors in shaping consumption culture in any society. Research findings in the two past decades show that television programs (series and commercials) mostly expose a luxurious style life, hence, elements of lavish consumption. The present article uses Cultivation Theory to explore media effects, and employs Use and gratification Theory to analyze the audience's treatment of the media message. According to Cultivation Theory, the content of TV programs could, in long term, shape the audience' s values and attitudes. The study found some mechanisms in the content of TV series and commercials that could shape lavish style of consumption in the process of programming. These mechanisms are as follows: Scenario, atmosphere and representation. However, based on the Theory of Use and gratification, it could be argued that the messages might not have direct and equal effect on the all of audiences.The research findings show that there are some elements in the content of TV programs which could ground the luxurious consumption attitude in the audience; however the audience, depending on its psychological attributes, gives different responses to the messages, and therefore, will be differently affected.

The present article investigates the views of Tehran’s citizens on consumptionism and the necessity to revise pattern of consumption as well as the role of IRIB in this regard. In this study some 849 citizens in 18 and the upper years of age were selected using multi-stage cluster sampling method.They were interviewed on issues focusing on consumption pattern through a research-made questionnaire. Findings show that 84.5 percent of the subjects marked the level of lavishness and 93 percents marked the necessity of revising pattern of consumption as "much and very much". The respondents believed that the most important reason behind individuals’ luxurious style life was vying, and the most significant consequence of failing to revise consumption pattern was wasting facilities and sources as well as creating economic problems (inflation). In their view, water, electricity and fuel were the most misconsumed items. Culturalization and training citizens were the respondents’key suggestions for the IRIB’s officials for revising consumption pattern.