ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes the changes in collective orientation systems upon which social actors' actions in postmodernity are based, starting from George Ritzer's considerations on the spread of a kind of new religion of consumption. According to the American scholar, in fact, the experiences set in great “cathedrals of consumption”, such as shopping centers or amusement parks, are capable of arousing in consumers that sense of magic and re-enchantment – typical of religious ceremonies – that modernity, with its consequent process of rationalization, had progressively pushed to the margins of subjective experience. Taking a cue from the secularism process involving modern societies and the crisis of the institutions providing subjects with a collective horizon they could recognize themselves in, it is argued that even the world of consumption can provide individuals with expressive tools and resources to define and communicate their identity and/or their universe of values to the world at large. In fact, in contemporary society consumption practices can contribute to producing that connective tissue, made up of values, beliefs and rituals, capable of linking together social actors and that, in the past, was also formed thanks to the work of institutions such as the family, school and religion. In particular, sustainable consumption choices stand out as a means capable of showing the interest of subjects in the community and the public good: since consuming is a cultural process, a sustainable lifestyle reflects a distinct altruistic worldview and its associated values. Such dynamics appear to be particularly significant for the new generations, engaged in the difficult process of constructing their adult identity and thus of defining the values that inspire their actions in the world.
