Consumer Society

The aim of this article is to analyze the concept of a consumer society, based primarily on the work of Zygmunt Bauman. Bauman’s works synthesize and modernize previous ideas about this type of society. The article presents the most important of Bauman’s thoughts on the issue, including the imperative of choice, the totality of commodification, praise for transience, and permanent insatiety. These ideas are subjected to critical analysis and illustrated with examples drawn from existing sources and the author’s own observations.

F*ck May 68, Fight Now: Exploring the Uses of the Radical Past from 1968 to Today

Session 1: History is a Weapon

June 8, 2018

Department of History, University of Liverpool

https://archive.discoversociety.org/2018/09/04/circumnavigating-the-past-foreclosing-the-future-commemoration-of-the-radical-past-in-the-amnesiac-present/

In the research; the interaction between the message and the receiver that these products want to convey as a means of communication on the consumer society, which is the result of the postmodern and capitalist paradigm, is analyzed by selecting banners and advertisement samples related to graphic design from the world and our country. Graphic design; Is defined as a discipline that enables the message to be received and understood by the target group by adding order and structure to the content in order to facilitate the communication process. The most important problem is that the design is a product of creation that reaches the viewer directly in communication. While sampling studies are being selected; Oriented towards design products that appeal to the masses of people, rather than the person, and the concepts and products are examined with a relational approach. In this direction; the research method is a relational screening model which is revealed through descriptive form and content analysis while the poster and billboard designs of different institutional firms which are advertisement products for consumers are constituted sample of research purposes. By examining the design products examined in terms of communication and visual language, the relationship between audience and products is analyzed in terms of their qualities such as the use of basic design principles and elements and aesthetic elements. With this trend, a general evaluation is made about the aesthetical taste judgments of the society and cultures and the reality they represent through the products sampled. As a result of the examination, it is reached that the design products which function as a communication are an important selectivity element between human communities and products, and that the visual message has a symbolic character in the direction of the targets to be conveyed to the consumer.

Ermeneutica della sopravvivenza significa, in primo luogo, arte di interpretare il mondo attuale per coglierne il senso e le contraddizioni e, in secondo luogo, strategia critica volta alla salvaguardia di una vita autenticamente umana all'interno del suo habitat naturale. Il programma dello studio si divide, perciò, in una pars destruens, concepita alla stregua di un'indagine fenomenologica sullo status quo, e in una pars construens, in cui si propone un modello alternativo di pensiero e, quindi, di azione.

The present work offers a monographic analysis, with special attention to the sources, of a prose poem by Félix Grande on Ziryab for Sólo quiero caminar by Paco de Lucía, with a later redactional stage included in his Agenda flamenca. It also offers a study of the canonization mechanisms used by Grande in Fantasía flamenca de Paco de Lucía and especially Almoraima with the aim of spreading the work of the musician before the general public.

Discussion of Jameson's "Postmodernism and Consumer Society" and its relationship to Post-postmodernism. Includes a disucssion of my own artwork in relationship to ideas of pastiche and Information Age thinking (this is a modular component of my thesis).

"Fredric Jameson's compelling essay “Postmodernism and Consumer Society” navigates uncertain conceptual waters, outlining the primary components of Postmodernism as a periodizing concept and related consumer behavioral response. General recognition of “Postmodernism” itself, as both term and movement, is heavily debatable, even among Jameson's contemporaries—which complicates his model of it as cultural phenomenon and rewrite of Modernism.  For Jameson, Postmodernism functions across multiple fields, reacting against the canon by effacing boundaries between the elite and populous as it parallels an emerging social environment rooted in consumerism, media and spectacle. He identifies the use of pastiche and historicity, which (almost negatively) reflect a growing cultural dismissal of time, an escapist lack of engagement in the present moment and a humorless absorption of older styles. The great dilemma of the postmodern artist, then, is the question of what to do if everything has been done before. For Jameson, the answer is producing art about art (and the failings of art)—but he indirectly reveals a farther-reaching answer: pastiche actually functions as an interdisciplinary tool—a mode of remix culture that emphasizes context and arrangement over concern for style and stylistic “originality.” Pastiche is not a failure of Postmodernism, but a grapple with historicity itself—a way of acknowledging the death of styles  in favor of fresh contextual arrangement. As such, Jameson's argument is still relevant to contemporary Post-Postmodern artists as we position ourselves in the 21st century. By investigating Jameson's assertion of pastiche and schizophrenic time in Postmodernism, limitations in his argument  segue into newer modes of thinking and production..."

Bu çalışmada Fredric Jameson tarafından sanayi sonrası toplum veya tüketim toplumu, medya veya gösteri toplumu ya da çok uluslu kapitalizm olarak adlandırılan postmodernizm kavramı sosyal, kültürel ve ekonomik bağlamı içerisinde ele alınmaya çalışılmakta ve kavramın nasıl bir tüketim kültürüne ve tüketim toplumuna evrildiği üzerinde durularak bu değişimin bireylerin benliklerini, kimliklerini ve gündelik yaşam pratiklerini ne şekilde etkilediği incelenmektedir. Bu bağlamda, Jameson'ın postmodern toplumu betimleyen temel sanat yapıtının sinema filmleri olduğu önermesinden hareketle, örneklem olarak seçilen Dövüş Kulübü (Fight Club, David Fincher, 1999) filmi " parçalanmış benlik " ve " parçalanmış hayat " kavramları ışığında incelenecektir. Postmodern filmler olarak da anılan 1990'lar Hollywood sinemasının döneme damgasını vurmuş bir örneği olan Dövüş Kulübü filminin postmodernizm ve parçalanmışlık ilişkisini tartışmak bakımından son derece elverişli olduğu düşünülmektedir.

This interview-article is a commentary on some of the early reverberations of Covid-19 on the fashion industry. It introduces R.i.(a)P., a work by fashion designer and professor Wowo Kraus to pull focus on some of the immediate industry reactions, and the underlying ambiguity of fashion, branding and death. Fashion evades death, just as death continues to be tabooed in global Western culture. Through its evocative aesthetic and materiality R.i.(a)P. can illuminate some of the blind spots of this industry. Here Kraus talks about the ideas and intricate making processes behind his work.

In the digital age, the traditional model of international trade has been profoundly modified. Involved in the dynamics of cross-border e-commerce, the Chinese consumer society embraces a new mode of purchase, daigou, characterized by the intermediary role played by Chinese overseas sales agents, positioned between foreign manufacturers/traders and Chinese consumers. Through a multi-sited qualitative study conducted with daigous, their French product sellers, their business partners, as well as Chinese consumers and Chinese policy makers, this article first offers a global view on multiple trajectories and social profiles of daigous in Paris – skilled newcomers who arrived in France after the 2000s. The article then presents the intraprofessional practices of this sector, which are constantly being ramified and hierarchized, as well as the economic activities derived from the daigou sector and the interprofessional networks operated by this informal economy. Finally, the contribution proposes to discuss state actions to regulate this economic sector. Overall, this article shows the extent to which the study of daigous, representative of a transnational economy, from below provides a new perspective on the international, which is complementary to analyses of globalization process “from above.”


Résumé

À l’ère numérique, le modèle traditionnel du commerce international a été profondément modifié. Traversée par les dynamiques de l’e-commerce transfrontalier, la société chinoise de consommation embrasse un nouveau mode d’achat, le daigou, caractérisé par le rôle intermédiaire que jouent les agents commerciaux Chinois d’outre-mer, entre fabricants/commerçants étrangers et consommateurs chinois. À travers une étude qualitative multi-située menée auprès de daigous, leurs vendeurs de produits français, leurs partenaires commerciaux, ainsi que de consommateurs chinois et de responsables politiques chinois, cet article offre d’abord une vision globale sur les trajectoires multiples et profils sociaux des daigous à Paris, primo-arrivants qualifiés arrivés en France après les années 2000. L’article revient ensuite sur les pratiques intraprofessionnelles de cette filière, qui ne cesse d’être ramifiée et hiérarchisée ; et également sur les activités économiques dérivées des daigous et les réseaux interprofessionnels opérés par cette économie informelle. Enfin, la contribution se propose de discuter des actions étatiques de régulation de cette filière économique, et montre dans quelle mesure, l’étude sur les activités de daigou, exemplaire d’une économie transnationale par le bas, offre un autre regard sur l’international, complémentaire à une mondialisation saisie « par le haut ».

The paper analyzes the birth and historical development of consumer societies. Historians see their source in major European centers, mostly in London and Paris, in the eighteenth or nineteenth century. This period is characterized by the growing role of fashion and the beginnings of “massification” of consumption. The mass consumption, however, fully developed in the United States in the early twentieth century. The notion of consumer society crystallized in the social sciences in the 60s of the XX century and was used to describe the contemporary capitalist societies, which since the 50s (first America, and soon after West European countries) were dominated by the ideology of consumerism. This period should be considered a moment of emergence of a mature consumer society. Over the next decade, it strengthened its status, which was due to cultural revolution of the 60s, weakening of the Protestant ethics, liberalization and individualization of life.

In  addition  to  the  clear,  undeniable  borrowings  from  Flaubert  and  the  references  to  Roland  Barthes,  there  is  another, less obvious lineage that Les Choses seeks to create as soon as the young Perec appeared on the literary scene. But, as with everything that is intimate in Perec, the reader can only glimpse this “obliquely”, that is to say, by allusion and by ricochet. For Perec, an orphan since the end of World War II, the Proustian figure of the Narrator is indeed caught up in the search of time lost forever. Thus, in the short extract that concerns us, the ordinary objects displayed in a shop window, in the manner of a still life by Chardin, make up a memorial to the beloved ones tragically deceased and simultaneously pay a discrete, if not secret, homage to Proust and his poetic art.

„Nun, sehen Sie, Miss Ford, wir leben in einer komplizierten Gesellschaft, die es vorzieht, dem Wettbewerb alle Risiken zu entziehen. Deshalb gibt es auch mehr Meinungsforschungsinstitute als ein normaler Sterblicher zu zählen vermag. Bevor wir ein Produkt auf den Markt bringen, wollen wir erfahren, wer es kaufen wird, wie oft und was man dafür anlegen will; welche Gründe fur Bekenntnisse maβgebend sind; welche Chancen Gouverneur Stone hat, wieder gewählt zu werden; welche Waren besonders viel verlangt werden; ob Tante Bessie in der nächsten Modesaison blau oder rosa vorzieht.“ (Daniel F. Galouye, Simulacron 3, 1965)

Abstract: Consumer society is just one of the many descriptions to social structure in force today. When the consumer society is said, comes to mind acts of ‘consumption’ is inadequate to explain the social formation. Because consumption also includes production and re-production a cultural value beyond compensating solely necessity. By implication, consumer society means a structure that to direct effect and give a shape to subject and community. Many critical viewpoints are improved about consumer society and consumer subject. Cinema, as a narrative type, assists in critical viewpoint with its own narrative process. In this study, the critical approach, which improved by Fight Club movie to consumer society, is investigated. Semiotic analysis method was applied in the study.

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Özet: Tüketim toplumu, bugün yürürlükte olan toplum yapısının, yapılan birçok tanımlamalarından sadece bir tanesidir. Tüketim toplumu denilince akla gelen ‘tüketme’ edimi bu toplumsal formasyonu açıklamakta yetersizdir. Çünkü tüketme, salt bir ihtiyaç karşılamadan öte kültürel bir değer üretimini ve yeniden-üretimini de içerimlemektedir. Dolayısıyla bireyi ve toplumu doğrudan etkileyen ve biçimlendiren bir yapıyı ifade etmektedir. Tüketim toplumu ve tüketici bireye ilişkin birçok eleştirel bakış açısı geliştirilmiştir. Bir anlatı türü olarak sinema da, kendine özgü anlatım süreci ile eleştirel bakış açısına katkı sağlamaktadır. Bu çalışma kapsamında Fight Club filminin tüketim toplumuna yönelik geliştirdiği eleştirel bakış açısı incelenmiştir. Çalışmada göstergebilimsel çözümleme yöntemi uygulanmıştır.

Объектом исследования является современная культура в глобализированном мире. Предметом исследования выступает музейный сувенир как образец для анализа процессов, происходящих в музейной отрасли, которая, в свою очередь, является частью институциональной культуры. Цель данного исследования состоит в определении основных причин, приводящих к изменениям в музейной отрасти. Поставленная цель реализуется через анализ феномена музейного сувенира в музейной практике. Авторами подробно рассмотрены причины эволюции современного музея. Проанализированы изменения, происходящие в музейной практике и их взаимосвязь с феноменом музейного сувенира. В ходе исследования авторами применялись методы системного анализа, что позволило рассмотреть предмет исследования в его взаимосвязи с тенденциями глобального развития. В результате исследования авторы приходят к выводу, что, начиная со второй половины XX в. человеческая цивилизация вступила в урбанистическую эру. Развитие промышленных городов изменило структуру социальных отношений, на первое место вышел индивид с его стремлением к максимальному комфорту. Достижение комфорта мыслится через потребление товаров и услуг, через желание и возможность «обладать». Человек общества потребления желает «обладать» всем, что его окружает, в том числе культурой. Культура переходит в разряд «развлечения», становиться массовой, понятной и доступной. Доступность культуры (её локальных вариантов) обеспечивается развитием туристической индустрии. Турист, соприкасаясь с различными культурами по всему миру, ожидает от них понятной и развлекательной формы. Для обеспечения «перевода» локальной культуры на язык массового потребления создаются «музеи для туристов». В них человек чувствует себя комфортно. Новые музеи не требуют от посетителей усилий для постижения «исторической памяти культуры», они предоставляют «образы» культуры, встроенные в глобальные, общепонятные категории. Музей превращается в «сувенирную лавку», центр развлечений и тем самым интегрируется в систему мирового рынка. В процессе этой интеграции особое место занимает музейный сувенир, он позволяет музею состояться как товарному бренду, адаптировать культурный код к общедоступному уровню восприятия и, наконец, получить прибыль. Вместе с сувениром посетитель получает маркер памяти места, где он пережил какие-либо ощущения, получил в «обладание» часть культуры. Эти процессы свидетельствуют об изменении базовой функции музея: он больше не нуждается в накоплении объектов исторической памяти, ему достаточно создавать «образы» культуры. Фиксация образов в сувенирах придаёт «образам» характер «подлинника» и переводит музей из разряда хранителя культуры в разряд её создателя.

The article aims to analyse the specificities of modern consumer society in the European Union and, therefore, it presents the genesis and the essence of consumer society development in Europe. It points to the idea of consumer society in terms of economy, politics, sociology, and philosophy. The specificities of the modern consumer society in the European Union are influenced by legislative processes in regard to the economical safety of consumers including safety of goods in terms of information, education, and redress, with special regard to cross-border transactions. The article presents the definition of consumer ethics and the specifics of certain ethical norms connected with the purchase process, what have evolved together with the development of consumer society in the EU.

Today globalization has become a ‘catch-all’ word, often used to explain everything in the contemporary world. However, it still has an explanatory value, if combined with the “meta-level” theories and approaches. In this paper I try to explain why and how globalization impacts mass protest behavior. So, a priori I suggest that globalization processes do matter in contentious politics and their transnationalization. In doing so, I align with a long-standing academic tradition of studying social movements and patterns of their dissemination around the world. What is really new in my approach to the topic is the ‘meta-level’ concepts I use to explain globalization’s impact on mass protest behavior. I introduce the analytical framework heavily based on the concept of ‘consumer society’ in its sociological interpretation. It means that consumption is not only a process to satisfy basic needs but also a human activity aimed at gaining status in the social structure. Thus, I assume that globalization most directly affects individuals wherever they live and work through consumption, transforming its processes and objects. The impact of globalization on consumer society becomes mostly obvious if we consider the interaction of consumer society and information society and the birth of the digital virtual consumption. So, consumption nowadays determines not only the day-to-day material activities of the millions of peoples. It also strongly affects their dreams and desires. But consumer society produces not only abundance and affluence, but also deficit and dissatisfaction. So I turn to the analysis of the mass protest behavior arguing that the initial point of all the protest whatever kind and scope is the feeling of the dissatisfaction and deficit. The empirical part of my paper contains several case-studies. It begins with the analysis of the 1968 student revolts. I show that the 1968 protest was perhaps one of the first manifestations of the ongoing globalization process that nevertheless wasn’t identified at that time. The 1968 global revolts embrace the First (the USA and Western European countries), the Second (the ‘Prague Spring’) and the Third (Mexico, Jamaica) worlds. I pay special attention to the fact that the student uprisings in Western countries contemporized with the birth of the affluent consumer society in the USA and West Europe. So, I interpret the 1968 student protest as a reaction to the deficit of the freedom in the interpersonal and family relations. ‘Archaic’ social taboos of the 1950s were questioned by the generation of the “1960s” who already enjoyed all the ‘fruits’ of affluence. I continue tracing the impact of globalization on the mass protest movements with another case-study: the 1989 transnational popular uprisings in the former Eastern bloc. In so doing I pay a special attention to the ‘commodity deficit’ in the socialist countries in the late 1980s as one of the factors that galvanized public unrest. It’s commonly accepted that the velvet revolutions and the end of the cold war opened a door to the all-embracing globalization process. After that moment the impact of globalization on the birth of new social movements became more complex. During the 1990s it was realized that globalization isn’t a force for good, and therefore it must be regulated and contained. So, the antiglobalization movement started to manifest itself worldwide in a lot of protest campaigns. In my approach I interpret the ideology of antiglobalization movement as mainly a reaction to the inequality and deficits produced by globalization especially in developing countries. In conclusion I briefly trace the newest mass protest campaigns of the 2000-2010s paying special attention to colour revolutions and popular uprisings after the global financial crisis of 2008 (Arab spring, Occupy Wall Street and Euromaidan). I suggest that new means of communication (social media) not only build a new opportunity structure for the social activists, but also allow millions of people to express their identity and become powerful actors and a force of change that couldn’t be neglected by the rulers. The era of ‘virtual digital consumption’ adds a new dimension to the mass protest movements and facilitates their dissemination around the world. Therefore, I conclude by insisting on the returning of the “masses” on the global political scene.

Objective. To inquire about the characteristics, dynamics and perspectives of the phenomenon of the DINK (Double Income, No Kids) couples in the city of Medellin (Colombia). Methodology. It was qualitative research. Results and conclusions. 11 DINK couples were identified, the presence of hedonism and the constant search for healthy selfishness was meaningful, which invites couples to have a lifestyle marked by self-realization.

This article presents the results of the research project "Identity process, immigration and plastic surgeries". The investigation took place from 2013 to 2014 in Portugal and Spain. The general objective was to search for clues to think more consistently of the interest and the practice of body modifications in the context of immigration. In-depth interviews were carried out with Latin American, Asian and African immigrants. To analyze the interviews, we used the literature about consumer society, social production of body and ethnic plastic surgeries. We propose in this article that immigrants are included in the context of consumer society and the fact that most immigrants live in precarious conditions but this is not an obstacle to think and to practice body modifications makes the issue even more interesting. This does not mean that in the consumer society there are not social and economic inequalities. Instead, we propose that there are new and more subtle forms of d...

The bachelor thesis deals with advertising representation of happiness in the context of consumer society theory. The aim of this work is to find out what possibilities of interpretation of happiness are in connection with consumer products, which mediate advertisements to their viewers. TV and online advertisements related to the environment of the Czech Republic are examined. The first part of the thesis deals with theoretical basis for themes of consumer society, advertising and happiness. Consumer society is conceptualized as hedonically oriented and established in the materialistic concept of the world. Advertising is seen as the main ideological tool of consumer society that is used to transform values. The happiness is seen from both perspectives, the hedonic and eudaimonic. Due to the abstract nature of happiness, constitutive elements of happiness are derived from expert discourse and serve as a conceptual framework and a default category for analysis. The default categorie...

Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to consider the implications of both the Covid-19 pandemic and UK lockdown for the social, political and economic future of the UK. Drawing on primary data obtained during the lockdown and the theoretical concepts of transcendental materialism and the "event", the paper discusses the strength of participants' attachment to the "old normal" and their dreams of a "new normal". Design/methodology/approach-This paper utilises a semi-structured online survey (n 5 305) with UK residents and Facebook forum debates collected during the lockdown period in the UK. Findings-The findings in this paper suggest that while the lockdown suspended daily routines and provoked participants to reflect upon their consumption habits and the possibility of an alternative future, many of our respondents remained strongly attached to elements of pre-lockdown normality. Furthermore, the individual impetus for change was not matched by the structures and mechanisms holding up neoliberalism, as governments and commercial enterprises merely encouraged people to get back to the shops to spend. Originality/value-The original contribution of this paper is the strength and depth of empirical data into the Covid-19 pandemic, specifically the lockdown. Additionally, the synthesis of empirical data with the novel theoretical framework of transcendental materialism presents an original and unique perspective on Covid-19.

The strength of the book lies in the exploration of new sites and
objects of consumer culture. For instance, themes such as the Superman, the fetishizaction of tribal art, and the making of an ethnic
brand are some of the themes unexplored in the Indian context. In
privileging the consumerist episteme, we do not attempt to undermine
the structural categories of social consciousness such as caste,
gender, ethnicity, or religion; rather we attempt the complementarity
of the two. Hence, while we acknowledge the all-encompassing
power of consumption to reconfigure classes from pre-ordained
caste and class hierarchies, we do concede the limiting way that it
does so. We are aware of the persisting violence of structural inequities
especially with reference to gender and patriarchy that stand
exacerbated rather than abated in the public domain of consumer
culture.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to consider the implications of both the Covid-19 pandemic and UK lockdown for the social, political and economic future of the UK. Drawing on primary data obtained during the lockdown and the theoretical concepts of transcendental materialism and the "event", the paper discusses the strength of participants' attachment to the "old normal" and their dreams of a "new normal". Design/methodology/approach-This paper utilises a semi-structured online survey (n 5 305) with UK residents and Facebook forum debates collected during the lockdown period in the UK. Findings: The findings in this paper suggest that while the lockdown suspended daily routines and provoked participants to reflect upon their consumption habits and the possibility of an alternative future, many of our respondents remained strongly attached to elements of pre-lockdown normality. Furthermore, the individual impetus for change was not matched by t...

Tuketim toplumu, bugun yururlukte olan toplum yapisinin, yapilan bircok tanimlamalarindan sadece bir tanesidir. Tuketim toplumu denilince akla gelen ‘tuketme’ edimi bu toplumsal formasyonu aciklamakta yetersizdir. Cunku tuketme, salt bir ihtiyac karsilamadan ote kulturel bir deger uretimini ve yeniden-uretimini de icerimlemektedir. Dolayisiyla bireyi ve toplumu dogrudan etkileyen ve bicimlendiren bir yapiyi ifade etmektedir. Tuketim toplumu ve tuketici bireye iliskin bircok elestirel bakis acisi gelistirilmistir. Bir anlati turu olarak sinema da, kendine ozgu anlatim sureci ile elestirel bakis acisina katki saglamaktadir. Bu calisma kapsaminda Fight Club filminin tuketim toplumuna yonelik gelistirdigi elestirel bakis acisi incelenmistir. Calismada gostergebilimsel cozumleme yontemi uygulanmistir.

Purpose This purpose of this paper is to explore how Western design, fashion and aesthetic styles influenced advertising practice in Turkey in the post-Second World War era. Specifically, the authors focus on the key targets of the consumerist ideology of the period, women and discuss the representations of females in Turkish advertisements. Design/methodology/approach Data were analysed using a combination of social semiotic and compositional analysis methods. Compositional analysis focused on the formal qualities and design elements of the ads; social semiotic analysis sought to uncover their meaning potentials in relation to social, cultural, political and economic dynamics of the period. The advertisements of a prominent Turkish pasta brand, Piyale, published in the local adaptation of the American Life magazine, between 1956 and 1966, constitute the data set. Findings The analysis reveals that Piyale followed the stylistic and thematic trends prevailing in American and European...

According to Williamson, ads sell to us more than just consumer goods: "While giving us a structure in which we and those goods are interchangeable, he says they sell us to ourselves". This made it important for the advertisement to create "meaning structures" apart from a representation and information tool. Advertising causes the products and concrete individuals to be differentiated and named as subjects by comparing them with the images of value represented. Thus, what will be named and differentiated is how and in what form a subject exists. Difference is important for understanding. To be a sign, it also points to an "other", that is, the referent expressed by it. In this study, it has been investigated that the "mirror stage" in this situation where consumption becomes functional with symbolic dimensions, that the life promises of advertising are very different from the target audience itself, how the promises reach the individual and what kind of desire regime is activated for the brand.