Consumer Culture and Runners Running for Health in Khon Kaen City

Abstract

Abstract

A study of consumer culture and runners running for health in Khon Kaen City employed a qualitative method.  In-depth interviews were used to obtain data and purposive sampling was used to select three groups of runners in Khon Kaen area,  totaling 45 runners. The study shows that such groups of runners running for health are formed upon taste, perception of information, identity creation, life experiences, changes in the way of thinking as well as operations by individuals and the groups of runners for health, which can be seen as follows: 1) A culture of taking pictures, recording videos and posting pictures of the runners while running reflect their identities, contributing to the emergence of identity relationship which is formed through consumption in different dimensions, and it also connects with the influence of market structures relevant to the production of running products and gadgets. Marketing has created a place for some groups of consumers to express themselves, develop their goals and change identities by gaining a foothold  in consumers’ social space. 2) The daily running for health programs of runners are adjusted to meet international standards. This results from personal experiences of the runners who are made consumers by a system of believes, attitudes, and operations occurring under the structure of social institution reflected by the connection between social institutions that influence opinions, preferences, and tastes of the consumers. 3) A culture of setting new records for runners and daily scheduled training play a vital role in establishing running culture and repeated practice patterns as well as help negotiate the identity that runners are those who take care of their health. Such an identity has created a meaning of challenging themselves until it becomes a  part of their daily routine. 4) A culture of running gadget consumption. Gadgets that runners use or consume when running apparently indicate wealth and social status as the gadgets have sign value, in terms of price, value, and the power to own and consume them. Running gadgets reflect how special runners are and show the expansion of the fashion industry. 5) A culture of running-related media consumption creates a consumer culture that features running for health in media space. It is considered the starting point that leads to the  creation of meanings of runners who present their identities both online and offline. This causes fluidity in consumer culture, which is relevant to personal conditions, conditions of thoughts,  social conditions and cultural conditions resulting from interactions with others and being influenced by media in the globalized world. 

Keywords: consumer culture, running for health, runner