Consumerism and Society 2008 vers 3.ppt

8/14/2019 Consumerism and Society 2008 vers 3.ppt

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onsumerism and

Society


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Consumerism seems to us awholly natural way of life

But it is not natural it isa relatively recent social

invention

Why did it appear?

What does it involve?How is it changing now andin the future?


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Lecture Contents

1. What is consumerism & consumption?2. History of consumption

3. Effects on society: negative?4. Effects on society: neutral?5. Globalization of consumerism

6. Effects: negative?7. Effects: complex?


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What Is Consumerism?

The cultural dominance, inmodern capitalist societies,of an orientation to themarketing andconsumption of goodsand services

(Collins Dictionaryof Sociology)


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What Is Consumption?Mike Featherstone (1990)

Consumption of consumer goods incontemporary society:

1. A key stimulus for production in the capitalist economy2. A key inducement for workers

to work3. A major source of social status4. A major source of aspirations

and pleasures


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History of ConsumptionConsumption is not totally new:

Leisure classesThorstein Veblen 1899- Aristocracies

- Vast wealth- Large amounts of leisure time

Consumption as a way of life

e.g. Roman empire foreign foods and spices, exotic pets

Conspicuous consumption


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Consumerism IS new- From about 1750- In the most advanced capitalist

countries e.g. UK, Holland

Product of the rise of thecapitalist economy

Not just leisure classes middle classes , then working classes

EVERY individual is / can be aconsumer


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Early consumerism:Early ModernityMiddle classes in:Late 18 th centuryHolland & Britain

Developing market in:- Household furnishings e.g. paintings, prints- Personal ornamentse.g. gloves, umbrellas- Stimulants : coffee, tea, tobacco,

chocolate


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A consumer society - MASS ConsumptionHigh Modernity

Middle classes from about 1860sIncreasing wealth more money to

spend on consumer goods

Working classesIncreasing wealthHigher aspirations- in USA from 1920s- in Western Europe from 1945


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2) Increasing social importance ofcommodities

Karl Marx (1860s):Commodity an object sold for money

in a capitalist marketCommodification (commercialization)- Objects : turning an object into a

commodity i.e. turning it into a thing tobe sold for money

- Social s ph eres : turning a social sphereinto a realm where objects have amonetary value & can be bought andsolde.g. pros t i tu t ion


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Commercialization of social spheres

Christmas celebrations - Traditional Christmas celebrations

invented c. 1860s- Gift-giving becomes wholly bound

up with consumer economy- Some traditional Christmas

symbols are invented by advertisers

Christmas invaded byconsumerism?

Christmas invented by consumerism


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3) Developing social importance ofmoney

Georg Simmel (1900)Money is not just a means ofbuying things

It encourages a particular way ofseeing the world

- EVERYTHING has a monetary value- EVERYTHING can be bought and sold


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EVERYTHING can beconsumed Individual stronglyencouraged to:

- see themselves as aconsumer

- see the world as onegiant shop

Th f h i


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The appearance of the sovereignconsumer

A new kind of individualWith a new way of thinking

a) Someone who is wholly free topurchase what they please

b) They can potentially purchaseANYTHING (as long as they haveenough money)

c) They gain their main pleasure in life from consuming

d) Free of all obligations orrestrictions - except to keep on consumingconstantly


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4) Development of consumercredit

- Borrowing money to buy goodsNOW

- Paying back LATER- From 1920s (esp. in USA)financial institutions offercheap loans and credit cards

- Beginning of department storecredit facilities


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5) Development ofconsumer places:

Arcades- From about 1870s

- Passageways with small,exclusive shops- Covered, lighted, heated,

patrolled

The shopping mall USA, 1950s onwards


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The department store- From about 1870s

Covered, lighted, heated, patrolledGoods on display not hidden away

Spectacular window displaysElaborate dcor

Encourage fantasies &

aspirations

Particularly aimed at women

- Female is naturally a consumer

d i


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Late ModernityLater 20 th century Move away from purely mass

production of goods

More sophisticated technology - Flexible production- Rapid design and manufacturing

of new goods- Specialist goods for niche

markets

Multiple types of consumerMultiple lifestyles


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Summary So Far

Consumption has a long history BUT Consumerism is a modern phenomenon

Early modernity : beginnings of consumerism

High Modernity : mass consumption / consumerism

Late Modernity : flexible production; away from massconsumption; multiple consumption-based lifestyles


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Effects on Society: Negative?

Criticisms of consumerism haveexisted since it began

1) Superficial / trivial

2) Manipulation


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The Frankfurt School

Theodor Adorno, MaxHorkheimer, HerbertMarcuse

Writing from 1930s to1960s

Marxist analysis ofconsumer capitalism


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Effects on Society: Negative?

Roland Barthes (France - 1950s)- How advertising works

No object has an intrinsicor natural meaning

Society defines meaning


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No consumer good has anintrinsic or natural meaning

Meanings attached byadvertising agencies

e.g. champagne = a celebratione.g. cigarettes = coole.g. car = individual freedom


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Effects on Society: Neutral?

Negative views assume :- Individuals wholly open to

manipulation- Individuals unthinking and

uncritical- Advertising strategies

always work

Michael Schu ds on 40% to

60% of new products fail


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Michel de Certeau

(France 1980s)

Individuals are never just consumers

Creative consumption

Ad ti i g t il


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Advertising not necessarily effective

Advertisers TRY to fix goods withparticular meanings

But:- not necessarily accepted - meaning depends on what

social group individualbelongs to

Relevance


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Critical and reflectiveconsumers

Use consumption for theirown purposes

Difficult to control

l b l f


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Globalization of Consumerism

Later 19 th century: Consumer economy spreads

from Europe to colonies e.g.

Australia, New Zealand

After 1945:

Consumer economy spreadsthroughout n o n -co mmu n i s tworld

Aft 1989


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After 1989 Fall of the Berlin Wall:

World-wide presence

Rising economies ; China, IndiaAppearance of new middle classes

But the spread is uneven e.g. many parts of Africa


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Since 1970s:

The rise of globalbrands

Western-basedTrans-National

Corporations(TNCs)


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Marc A g:


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Marc Aug:Non-spaces

Airport lounges, shopping malls,supermarkets, etc.

Since 1960s, globalization ofanonymous style of architecture

Same architecture everywhere

Global spat ial ho m og enizat ion

Global predictability

Globalization of consumerism:


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Globalization of consumerism:negative effects?

Activities of trans-national corporations (TNCs) e.g. Coca-Cola, Nike,McDonalds, etc.

Western imperialism

Coca -colonization (Ulf Hannerz)

From direct political control to indirect economic control

Jeremy Seabrook


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Jeremy Seabrook

1) Des tr u c tio n o f lo c al c u lt u resand t rad i t ions

2) Replaced with Western /A m erican values

3) Multi-million $ advertisingindustry inculcates

fa lse need s and d esires

Glob al cu l tura l

homogeniza t ion

Globalization of consumerism:


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Globalization of consumerism:complex effects?

1) Negotiating consumption- Does not necessar i ly mean

accepting Western values

- Consumer goods accommodated by local cultures

James Watson ,Golden Arches East East Asia - Korea, Taiwan

McDonalds as leisure centre

2) Creolization / Hybridization


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2) Creolization / Hybridization

- Mixing of global and local cultural elements

Rick Fantasia - French fast food

- Global & local inseparable

Uri Ram

- Israeli fast food

Homogenization : institutions

Complexity : ideas & values


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3) Reverse cultural flows

- From East to Weste.g. Bollywood films,Japanese anime

- From South to Northe.g. Latino music in US

Consum er cu l tu recomplex i f i ca t ion


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4) Local resistance to globalizationof consumerism

- Globalization of consumerismenc ou rages res is tanc e to i t se l f

e.g. Slow Food movement Italy- Eating slowly- Defending local, regional & national

food styles

Globalization of consumerismself-conscious cultural localization


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5) Globalization of anti-consumerism

- Part of broaderanti-globalization

(anti-capitalist) movement

- Direct protests and mediapublicity

- Growing popular literaturee.g. Naomi Klein No Logo


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IssuesConsumerism is totalitarian?(OR Consumption is complex creative

consumer)

Consumerism is unstoppable on aplanet-wide basis?

(OR Consumption is complex; mixtures of

global and local)

Consumerism is self-limiting?

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