Week 9 Flashcards
Who coined the term “conspicuous consumption”?
Thorstein Veblen in 1899. “The Theory of the Leisure Class”.
What did conspicuous consumption mean?
Purchase and display of expensive goods becomes a sign of social prestige for the wealthy.
What were the two key developments that spurred the change in consumption in the early 20th century?
Advertising
New spaces in consumption
Who drew on Freud’s ideas about the unconscious mind and what did it lead to?
Edward Bernays, it led to advertising preying on the unconscious mind and playing on people’s insecurities and fantasies.
What did department stores mean for consumption?
Goods were displayed permanently and sold at set prices.
New relationship between people and objects for sale.
The Eiffel tower celebrated
industry and technology.
Edison
Kinetograph and kinetoscope, an individual viewing experience of cinema.
Lumiere Brothers
Cinématographé, a shared experience of cinema.
Studio System
1910s and 20s, large studios controlled the film production process.
Star System
Viewers demanded to know the identity of the screen actors, actors were used as commodities and profit by studios.
