Published by the Consumers' Association and launched in 1957, Which? m
agazine aims to offer impartial, independent and scientifically-ground
ed factual information in order to promote rational choice in consumpt
ion. In this article, Which? is analysed as a lifestyle guide in which
rational consumption and the rational consumer are socially construct
ed. Which! repudiates the irrationalist anti-Enlightenment thrust of p
ostmodernism: it concentrates on use-value; brackets ethical and aesth
etic considerations; treats consumption as a serious matter to be appr
oached with self-discipline; searches for the reality underlying appea
rances; and promotes confidence in independent, rationally organised e
xpert systems.