Chapter 4: Consuming Identity
By: Alex Tran and Fady Ebeid
The chapter starts off with the author talking about how he engages daily in purchase transactions from food to gas, clothes, airline tickets, etc. Every time he makes a purchase, he is acting out of his own personal values that contribute to the economic system. Purchasing items is what he does as a consumer. Although, there are others who are materialistic and obsess with purchasing materials, consuming their identity. He then goes on to refer to a quote from the Art Directors Club Annual No.34 of 1955: “It is now the business of advertising to manufacture customers in the comfort of their own homes”. The author further elaborates by saying how demoralizing it is “to manufacture customers”, showing how many people are easily influenced by outside factors which can change their self-perception.
The 1950’s were a time of rising optimism, with more TV’s than there were people, cars and radios. Advertisers took advantage of the rise of TV’s and used to them to sell their propaganda, or as the author put it, “brainwashing” the people. Advertiser objectify our self image, while trying to tell a story, in order to be viewed as authentic, when in reality they are not. The reason for believing what was shown on TV to be authentic, stems from the belief from the 1920’s that illustrations lie, but cameras cannot. The author aims to highlight that buying something is not just a simple transaction, rather there are underlying stories of the product and what made you buy it.
In modern society advertisement has become such an important part of the company. Some companies focus more on their advertisement than they do on their quality of product. I guess when the competition gets serious so does the advertisement methods.
ReplyDeleteWow, that's crazy since the 1950s commercials have basically been telling people what they need to buy. I definitely remember commercials having a big impact on everything I wanted when I was younger; I thought having certain things would make me cool.
ReplyDeleteIt is surprising to me to read how in the 1950's advertisers took advantage of TV to influence people. I would rather think of something like this nowadays - but not back in the 1950's.
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting concept to think that self-demoralization occurs through the consumption of consumer goods and influence of TV and outsider factors.
ReplyDeleteThis is fascinating. I am astonished to hear that 1950's advertisers took advantage in how to influence people.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to not be brainwashed by some of the commercials they're airing these days! Marketers have figured out how to sell us anything they want through well designed ads. I recently tried an Oculus Virtual Reality device and I imagine these machines will replace our TVs and give way to a new wave of advertisements within a virtual world. Pretty cool.
ReplyDeleteIt's rather fascinating and quite frankly sad to see the incredible lengths that corporations go too in order to pull in unassuming people who view their television sets as a form of family entertainment. Even if an individual chooses to ignore the constant commercials and advertisements, I still think that there is a way for sound bites to sneak into a person's consciousness which thus might affect their consumer behaviors.
ReplyDeleteIt is very surprising to me that even back in 1950's people have began to use TV as mean to influence others
ReplyDeleteIt's terrifying to realize that commercials are designed to display what customers want to see. Because TV is one of the most effective means of communication, it could derive much of customers' consumption.
ReplyDeleteI have a same feeling too that we always think we make a purchase decision by ourself, which is from our own valuation. However, we usually ignore the part that our self perception is "shaped" by surrounding. The social media, commercial, friends, and even the whole society is shaping us. So the so-called "personal value" just the product of social interaction in some degree.
ReplyDeleteThere is always more than three things going on in any human interaction
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