The Implications of the Shopping Experience in Bulgaria

Introduction

The shopping malls in Bulgaria appear like mushrooms. The last couple of years an impressive development of them can be witnessed in the country. Every next one is bigger, more modern, with more shopping and entertainment possibilities, with better and spectacular movie theatres and etc. Barely, indulged into one, the crowds rushes for the next. This, therefore, suggests that the shopping malls are desired within the masses of the Bulgarian society. Their numbers is a result of the fact that people want them. This can be explained by the simple economics law that demand creates supply. It is the consumer society that requires shopping malls. People are going there in order to search for their identities by spending money on material objects. The shopping mall becomes the place where they can express their consumer behaviour. This paper will claim that it is not the shopping malls that deprive people from individuality but that people are deprived by it by themselves. Indeed, this is the reason why they go to shopping malls – to construct their consumer identity. Yet, it is not the mall that makes people consumers. They are consumers by default and this is again another reason why they go to malls. This act is a manifestation of their consumer nature, an act of this nature. Consequently, visiting the mall can be seen as the symptom of a problem but not the problem itself.

The paper, therefore, will attempt to answer the following research question: What are the consequences of the recent and rapid emergence of many shopping malls and to what extent this has an influence on the creation of identities. In order to answer the research question, the paper will, first, look at the globalization issue. Secondly, the shopping experience itself will be examined and the role of commodities. Thirdly, the topic of the 'self' is of crucial importance for the issue in question, so therefore, attention will be given to it. Fourthly, Bourdieu's theory of consumption will be examined will respect to shopping malls. Fifthly, the kind of surveillance which is visible in shopping malls will be taken into consideration. Lastly, a conclusion will be drawn. The paper will take Bulgaria as a case-study, since I have personal interest and because for the year 2010, three malls are already launched and six more are still in working process and are expected to be done within 2 years. Crucial here to be mentioned is that these developments are only in the capital of the country and namely Sofia. This means that the number of shopping malls in Sofia accounts for seven, while other six are still projects. For a city with 2 million population and area of 492m2, this number suggests that shopping malls are seen as having a big part and parcel of people's life.

Globalizing World.

Taking into account the issue in question, it is therefore crucial to define globalization. According to Ulrich Beck, globality means that “we have been living for a long time in a world society, in the sense that the notion of closed spaces has become illusionary” (Beck, 2000, p.10). There is not a single country which can isolate itself from others to such an extent that will not feel the effects of globalization. Different economic, cultural, political, social forces interact with each other which changes constantly our perceptions of the world we live in. In this respect it is necessary to define 'globalization'. This concept is one of most widely used words and still one of the most disputed and misunderstood. It entails different meanings and understandings, which makes it very difficult to define. There exists many different dimensions of globalization such as informational, ecological, economic and cultural globalization but this paper will look only at the cultural idea of globalization. In that sense, cultural globalization is seen as the effects of the development of the world market on cultures, identities and life-style. The globalization of the economy goes hand-in-hand with a process of cultural transformation which is indeed cultural globalization. Globalization, therefore, means:

“that borders become markedly less relevant to everyday behaviour in the various dimensions of economics, information, ecology, technology, cross-cultural conflict and civil society. It points to something not understood and hard to understand yet at the same time familiar, which is changing everyday life with considerable force and compelling everyone to adapt and respond in various ways. Money, technologies, commodities, information and toxins 'cross' frontiers as if they did not exist.” (Beck, 2000, p.20).

Some authors like Wallerstein, Appadurai, Giddens and etc. claimed that capitalism was the driving force of globalization. Others like Robertson, Albrow,