Don’t Mess with My Milk! The Mystery of Spectacular Mundane Consumption

Abstract: This study aims to deepen the understanding of mundane consumption by examining hidden meanings in the case of the Milk Uprising, when sharp decreases in the availability of Skånemejerier’s milk in Scania, Sweden, in 2009 ignited a major consumer revolt. We argue that existing literature is inadequate to explain this case where mundane consumption all of a sudden became spectacular, and that such a case presents a great opportunity for deeper exploration of the role that everyday consumption has in people’s lives. We use structuralist sociological theories about the everyday on a set of empirical material gathered through interviews and netnography, whereas the main tool that helps us uncover hidden meanings is myths. Our findings show that through a number of myths, milk is a mediator of social tensions. It is closely embedded in the rhythms and structures of the everyday in Scania, and the disruption of the everyday routine through the removal of Skånemejerier’s milk conditioned this revolt. Consumers conveyed the meanings of milk through two main myths: David vs. Goliath and cultural homogenisation. They used the myths to sustain the sense of local identity and community in an overarching centre-periphery power struggle. Milk in Scania is a symbol of self-determination, the way of life and the local identity, which explains why this mundane consumption item was able to ignite a revolution. We conclude that mundane consumption encompasses more than what has been suggested to date and merits substantial further attention in consumer culture theory, behavioural decision theory and branding literature.