A Systematic Literature Review of Consumer Culture and Children
Chapter from the book: Çimen, Ü. (ed.) 2025. Current Debates in Communication Studies.

Çilem Tuğba Koç
Erciyes University
Deniz Elif Yavalar
Erciyes University

Synopsis

In the consumer society, which can also be described as a society where individuals learn to consume and are socially prepared for consumption, no one is intended to achieve complete satisfaction. Children are not exempt from the globally circulating consumer culture. While media programs play a pivotal role in shaping consumer culture, a considerable influence on children, particularly through content such as advertisements, television series, cartoons, and computer games. The consumer culture that surrounds children through media remains, today as in the past, a subject worthy of close academic scrutiny. While the emergence of traditional media followed by new media has given rise to an interdisciplinary field of study, the fragmented nature of existing research makes it difficult to trace dominant tendencies and approaches within the field. Therefore, this study conducted a systematic literature review of articles indexed in Scopus and Web of Science (WOS) using the keywords "children," "media," and "consumer culture." The research population consisted of 57 articles—26 retrieved from Scopus and 31 from WOS. The sample of the study was determined based on specific inclusion criteria used in the systematic review, resulting in a final selection of 19 articles. As a result of the research, it is seen that different approaches such as Critical Approach, Cultural Studies Approach, Historical Approach, Gender Approach, Ecocentric Approach, Consumer Socialization Approach, Parental Mediation Approach, Media Socialization Theory, Conspicuous Consumption Theory and Media Literacy Perspective were used in the field of children, consumer culture and media.

How to cite this book

Koç, Ç. T. & Yavalar, D. E. (2025). A Systematic Literature Review of Consumer Culture and Children. In: Çimen, Ü. (ed.), Current Debates in Communication Studies. Özgür Publications. DOI: https://doi.org/10.58830/ozgur.pub778.c3236

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Published

June 26, 2025

DOI