Consumer Culture and the Manufacturing of Desire
The reading suggests the idea that images have a driving role in the market, and that visualising is of high importance, when promoting a product to the consumers. Advertising is a way of making customers believe that they desire a certain product, and that it will provide them a style of life "the way it should be" or can be called "good life". Advertising images are everywhere around us in out daily lives- on TV,on the internet, on billboards, in magazines and movie theaters, etc... Most companies work with advertising agencies whose job is to create a visual image for corporations, products and such.
Consumer Society
Advertising plays a massive role in consumerism society and capitalism. capitalism is an economic system, where the investment in an ownership of goods is primarily held by individuals, or corporations. Consumer society is when the individual is constantly confronted with enormous amount of goods. The increased industrilasation in the 19th century decreased the number of small enterpreneurs, and increased the number of large manufacturers. In consumer society there is a constant demand of new products. Consumer societies are also part of modernity. The urbanisation of life also takes an important part in the consumer society. Window shopping is first introduced in the 19th century.
Commodity Culture and Commodity Fetishism
A consumer culture is a commodity culture. This is a culture in which commodities are central to cultural meaning. Clothing, music, cars, cosmetic products among other products are commodities that people use to present themselves to those around them. Advertising is suggested to be very influential on people's choices.
On of the most important aspects of the Marxist analysis is the idea of commodity fetishism. This refers to the process by which mass produced goods are emptied of the meaning of their production. Commodity fetishism operates through reflection.
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