ABSTRACT
This chapter draws together three strands of research in relation to the transitions in contemporary citizenship: citizenship studies, consumer culture and surveillance studies. It argues that there is a broad overlap between the critical concerns of surveillance research and emerging forms of citizenship and that our understandings of the interconnections of research in these areas will significantly help to evaluate and prioritise potentials and concerns within the changing nature of citizenship. The chapter focuses on the connection between citizenship and consumer culture and then detail the role of surveillance as a lens through which to examine consumption and marketing practices. It describes what an understanding of consumer surveillance tells us about the changing nature of citizenship. It will be based on a few specific examples that highlight the intersections of citizenship and consumption and how consumer surveillance focuses attention on the role of visibility and relational power in the contemporary consumer–citizen nexus.
