CONSUMERISM SEMINAR.
A recap of the lecture:
- Desire, False need for commodities.
- Manufacturing a desire.
- Social control / freedom.
- Stratification / Inequality.
People think that they are free and happy, because they can afford certain things with their finances, such things give them the illusion of power. Therefore they think they are free.
Consumerism acts as a palliative - acts as a sedation or a drug.
The rise of mass production meant an increase of the amount of things in the world.
Advertising and branding grew out of this, Branding a product created false needs and tempted those who felt they need to be free.
Freud - Argued that humans are irrational beings and that we have instinctual urges, animal like and one of the most destructive species on the whole planet. A civil society is incompatible with our base desires, we can not all be happy because we cannot act out all our instincts.
Bernays - Father of public relations, linking products - brands, celebrities and politicians to our instinctual desires. Employed to orchestrate these ideologies on a mass system, employed to destabilise socialist countries.
By necesity to exist, we have to desire comodoties, the wealth of our capatilist society we are made to purchase/make things.
As a bi-product we are given the illusion we have the free choice, this is however within a system of options, made to look like infinite options. It pacifies us momentarily. Our desires have been met and it makes us, for a small time, docile. - The pleasure principle.
From what has been discussed in the lecture and adjoining seminar, critically analyse a piece of advertising. Discuss how the advert reflects the mental and physical conditions of consumerism. Reference John Berger for evidential support.
The piece of Advertising i have chosen to work with is from the Oxfam Charity.
We live our everyday lives thinking that we have total control, We are led to believe that we have complete power, we have choice, we live in belief that we are free. But, in fact life as we know it is a routine, one stimulated by the humans natural needs and desires. Advertisers can sense these cravings, and play upon them, associate them with products, repeating this proposition in a vicious cycle. Thence we fall victim of consumerist advertising as we are guided to accept that, what is advertised is the solution of our needs or problems. And for slight moments in time we are pacified, content and docile by our new purchases, this is adapted in Bergers essay 'If we can feed a bewildered herd the illusion that all their desires are satisfied what you have is a stable ordered easily controlled society.'
Charity appeals, particularly those in the western quarter of the earth have realised and addressed the consumers need to expend, factoring this into an array of new bids for the cause in which they epitomise. The oxfam advert 'Reinvent your shopping' is the quintessential representation of just this. At first glance of the advert we can see that there is no reference to the context of the charity, we are not informed of what the money we spend goes towards, the ethos or the purpose of the charity. This is due to the materialisation that the contemporary culture are disconnected and therefore unconcerned with events in the world, 'all real events are exceptional and happen only to strangers.' (Bergers) For this reason, advertisers see no necessity in adding this information, and instead use the space in these advertisements to react to the consumers compulsions.
Within this appeal Oxfam have offered an easy way out, without the audience having to take even a small stride out of their comfort zone. More so, instead of only imposing that they pay a small fee per month, investors are offered the opportunity to receive some exclusive items which they believe will improve their lives. It gives solution to the audiences fabricated needs to continually consume more. The audience have no perception that the Oxfam advert is in use to raise money for paramount issues such as lack of food, water, health and education. These issues are concealed by something of more interest to the participator, and so they advance in life, knowing not of these important issues, but filled with the warm feeling and docile mind that they have helped themselves in helping someone else. 'The act of acquiring has taken the place of all other actions, the sense of having has obliterated all other senses.'
The audience whom participate in what the advert is asking are compelled to do so through a calibre of linguistic triggers. To 'reinvent' is of the future tense, this particular verb is used as all advertisements are directed towards the future, adverts never reflect on the present life, thus 'For publicity the present is by definition insufficient.' Due to the foreseeing root of this term, society feel the need to attain the lifestyle which is being prescribed, convinced that their current lives are not fulfilled. Consequently what is being offered they feel must be the solution to secure an accomplished life. The advert also acknowledges a humans instinctive behavioural traits. We can see in the copywriting two phrases 'Be the first' and 'Before someone else', these particular phrases create the image in the audiences mind that whatever they acquire they will be envied by others, this enhances a persons native intuition to compete, when envied one feels superior to the others in which they are surrounded by, for some 'Being envied is a solitary form of reassurance.' (Bergers) To that end, the aim for many is not to form a community within their society but to separate themselves and almost be resented by others.
Further more they manipulate the consumers need to be coveted, through a list of lexis combinations such as 'big-name fashions' implying that, the items on sale are luxurious, thus better than the norm, and accordingly better than others possesions. 'Hand- crafted' also constitutes the notion that all pieces under this label will be individual and unique, and by this, unattainable by any other than those whom choose to purchase them. Much persuading the audience to make an investment as 'The state of being envied is what constitutes glamour.' (Bergers)
Further more they manipulate the consumers need to be coveted, through a list of lexis combinations such as 'big-name fashions' implying that, the items on sale are luxurious, thus better than the norm, and accordingly better than others possesions. 'Hand- crafted' also constitutes the notion that all pieces under this label will be individual and unique, and by this, unattainable by any other than those whom choose to purchase them. Much persuading the audience to make an investment as 'The state of being envied is what constitutes glamour.' (Bergers)
One does not walk away feeling shame for a purchase they that have made for what it 'proposes will make us in some way richer - even though we will be poorer by having spent our money' (Bergers) However the advert does try to put a bandage over this concept by ensuring the audience that the range of products are the 'Great value you've been looking for', thus encouraging them to spend more and reassuring them that this is what they need, linking meaningless products to their repressed instincts as proved by Edmund Bernays. Ergo people feel they are able, through the acquirement of a material item, able to bridge the gap between what is being offered and the future it offers to what they will become.
It is because of these adverts that the consumer self is very much alive today. That humanity will always be unsatisfied with their current lives, as they continue to strive to feel fulfilled and proficient and they have been taught that in order to succeed at this, they must continually consume without fail as, 'The power to spend money is the power to live.' (Bergers)
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