Social representations on board the car in Medellín, Colombia

Abstract

Beyond their monetary value, private cars have a social value that keeps them in use despite the economic and environmental restrictions upon them. This research analyzes the social representations that were built in Medellin (Colombia) around the private vehicle, and why is the use of this luxury good increasing even though the city boasts public transport alternatives. The existing literature on social representations, especially of luxury goods, was reviewed, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with a group of people between 30 and 40 years old who own vehicles for private use that cost at least 50 million of Colombian pesos at the time of their purchase. The discourse analysis of the interviewees allowed to know the social value that people give to private cars. The owners’ assessment of that good goes beyond the concepts of freedom and independence as recognized by the related literature. This research showed that the owners’ first goal is to distance themselves from public transport systems. Car owners understand the car’s symbolic value and foresee the reactions that the good cause on other people, and they use it to build a speech and show themselves as they want to other members of their community. From a sociological point of view, this analysis revealed that car consumption among the aforementioned group of study presents itself an ascending scale that is directly related to the status aspired by the car’s owner.