From Flaneur to Posenger - Bicycle Chic and the Social Impact of the Bicycle

This dissertation examines the social impact of the popularity of the bicycle in society from 2007 to the present day. The bicycle we know today was the result of decades of technological development in the 19th century which produced a bicycle boom in the 1890’s. Wiebe Bjikers studied the sociological significance of the bicycle during the 19th century, his studies will be used in understanding what the bicycle’s symbolic significance is today. Following Bijker’s Social Construct Of Technology (SCOT) theory, the dissertation examines how changing social contexts led to different interpretations of the bicycle and how the bicycle brought about very significant changes in society. This dissertation demonstrates that the bicycle boom represented aspirations of personal freedom in the restricting mores of the 19th century and likewise again today it provides a release from the constrictions of our congested and overcrowded cities. The current rise of the bicycle has had an impact on advertising, fashion and urban life. This dissertation demonstrates that the bicycle’s use in advertising and fashion is consistent with Thorstein Veblen’s theory of Conspicuous Consumption in both 19th century and modern day bicycle booms. This dissertation examines the reasons why bicycles are currently used by mainstream fashion brands, the dissertation focuses on particular brands that use strategies and visual languages aimed at certain social groups and their ideologies. The concluding section reveals that acceptance of the bicycle in today’s society can stem from anxieties and rejection of a world increasingly dependent on inhuman technology. This dissertation demonstrates that the changing attitudes towards the bicycle and its use in pursuing social and political agendas has now meant that the impact of the bicycle is shaping our cities.