Week 11 Flashcards
can’t have a consumer society under communism or socialism, because consumer doesn’t have a choice in products
Consumer society: Capitalism
Socialism and communism: command-based economies.
Consumer society: Capitalism
State decides resources, manufacturing, distribution
Capitalism yields a surplus of goods; surplus has to be managed through advertising to stimulate consumption.
Consumer society: Capitalism
Advertising exists in two forms: Appealing to your desires or your fears
Consumer society: Capitalism
Consumerism needs many people living in cities
Consumer society: Urbanism
In an urban society, there is a concentration of commercial spaces (downtown, shopping district etc) creates competition and stimulates consumption. Attracts people to shop
Consumer society: Urbanism
In the city, people are removed from the context of where their resources and manufacturing takes place
Consumer society: Urbanism
Refers to the idea that people move around a lot in capitalist society; they move where the jobs and opportunities are.
Consumer society: Mobility
Consumption becomes a symbol of one’s social status, but it also used in a society of strangers to indicate what social group you belong to
Consumer society: Mobility
Less tied to traditional expectations of what or who you should be
Consumer society: Mobility
There is an opportunity to make new identities, ones that aren’t tied to a social structure
Consumer society: Mobility
Also refers to people being socially mobile; using your consumption to change your status
Consumer society: Mobility
First challenge for advertising industry was to convince people to spend money on things, not convince longevity; promote self-gratification
Consumer society: Shift in value
Prior to consumer culture, people felt guilty about consuming
Consumer society: Shift in value
Everything exists on a transactional basis; all human relationships can be thought of as transactions; everything can be turned into a commodity
Consumer society: Shift in value
Prior to the industrial revolution, fashion was limited to an exclusive few at the top
Changes in production
Mass production makes it possible for everyone to consume; lowers the price, makes it possible for huge diversity of products, standard of living rises, makes possible for techniques that make normally expensive and exclusive items widely known/available
Changes in production
Shopping is transformed from a chore done by servants to enjoyable activity
Shopping as a social and leisure activity
Seeing is one source of information for the consumer
Shopping as a social and leisure activity
Department stores make it possible to see and be seen; ex anyone can visit chanel at department store vs chanel boutique
Shopping as a social and leisure activity
Advertising didn’t become a business until the 20th C
Rise of Advertising
Need for advertising is to manage the surplus of goods
Rise of Advertising
social implications:
Advertising as a form of social control
Tells us what is proper appearance, what the social standard is: dress, posture, behaviour
Advertising reproduces a consumer society
Rise of Advertising
Idea that people are disembedded from time and space; our experience of modernity is characterized by a series of dislocations and discontinuities that have removed us from any particular place aka hyper modernity
Disembeddedness Anthony Giddens 1990, 1991
No matter where you are, the experience is identical
Disembeddedness Anthony Giddens 1990, 1991
Disembedded by transnational corporations with uniform products and stores; consistency in appearance of stores, how food tastes etc
Disembeddedness Anthony Giddens 1990, 1991
Homogenized culture instead of ethnic, regional, and local cultures
Disembeddedness Anthony Giddens 1990, 1991
Social life consists of process in which remote interaction has become the primary feature of contemporary life
Time-space compression David Harvey 1989
Social systems that were previously unique have become connected and interdependent
Time-space compression David Harvey 1989
Spend more time with online entities/people that have no time or space rather than IRL beings
Time-space compression David Harvey 1989
Geographical and time zone distances are irrelevant
Time-space compression David Harvey 1989
New way of living not available to those before 21C; free form material constraints
Time-space compression David Harvey 1989
Impact on fashion industry: most interactions/consumption is online
Time-space compression David Harvey 1989
Goods are signs that are empty of any authentic meaning and consumption results in a loss of identity.
Passive consumption
The consumer is manipulated, controlled, a follower, homogenized
Passive consumption
Reductive theory; draws attention away from the source of the problem
Hypodermic syringe model (passive consumption)
Doesn’t take into account difference in viewers and environmental influence on message’s affect
Hypodermic syringe model (passive consumption)