Mature (‘Mündige’) Consumers—A Practice-Theoretical Revision

The guiding principle of the mature (‘mündige’) consumer has fallen into disrepute. However, the criticism is based on the socio-theoretical caricature of a homo oeconomicus, which rather idealizes the consumer role than revealing the problem: Along the premises of utility maximization and by succumbing to rational choice assumptions of complete information, the mature consumer is constructed in such a way that its questioning must necessarily follow. The aim of the article is to provide a critique that both reveals one-sided determinations and explores the socio-theoretical possibilites of a practice-theory alternative. In order to identify the enabling mechanism of this political-economic principle, it is necessary to sensitize to the limits of personal responsibility and to redefine concepts such as responsibility, self-determination, co-determination, and transparency within the consumer discourse.