Communist manifesto: critical of capitalism - suggested a better way of life
Critique of consumer//commodity culture
- In commodity culture we construct our identities through the consumer products that inhabit our lives
- This is what Stewart Ewen terms 'the commodity self'
- Judith Williamson (Decoding Advertisements) 'Instead of being identified by what they produce, people identify themselves through what they consume' (1991:13)
- Looking individual doesn't mean being individual
Symbolic associations - calvin klein advertisement
Image represents use, group culture, sex appeal & desirability
How does commodity culture perpetuate false needs?
- Aesthetic innovation - essential for the fashion industry//seasonal trends
- Planned obsolescence - products have an 'expiry date' just beyond the guarantee//warranty so we are always needing to update things
- Novelty - newer version of products makes us want to discard the older versions
Commodity Fetishism (term coined by Marx)
Basically advertising conceals the background 'history' of products; the context in which a product is produced is kept hidden (Nike - Adbusters)
Reification
Products are given human associations; perceived as sexy, romantic, cool, sophisticated, fun etc.
Commodity culture manipulates us into thinking one-dimensionally; it stifles us and prevents us living full, meaningful and creative lives.
Watch John Berger - Ways of Seeing
Ways advertising work & make profit:
- Economy
- Subsidising the media quality
- Stereotyping
- It seeks to make people unhappy with existing material possessions
- It potentially manipulates people into buying products that they don't really need//want
- It encourages addictive, obsessive & acquisitive behaviour
- It distorts the language and encourages bad usage & incorrect spelling
- It encourages consumers, especially children to want products and brands that they cannot afford, causing feelings of inadequacy and envy
- It uses images that encourage us to buy products and brands that have the potential to be unhealthy
- It encourages unnecessary production and consumption therefore depleting the world's resources and spoling the environment
Summary
- Karl Marx - Marxist analysis used to critique advertising
- Commodity culture & fetishism
- Reification
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