Consumer Culture and the Manufacturing of Desire 3/28/07 (189-235)

The idea of abstraction referred to by Sturken and Cartwright, though perhaps valid and backed by proof that I may not be aware of, seems a little outlandish. The definition of abstraction itself may be accurate; however, its application to today’s society seems less appropriate than the book makes it out to be. Personally, I understand their argument, that as willing or unwilling consumers, we are advertised to using various forms of marketing about what “we will have.” However, in my personal experiences and observation, technological changes in everything-ranging from cell phones to video games to computers- will make what we are supposed to have outdated before we even buy it.

When I think about the BMW commercials, which are definitely cool, I see them more as incredibly expensive movies to promote the BMW brand. Perhaps I see them differently from the average consumer, but to me, they neither seem to stand as stand-alone movies or projections into the “future,” unless one simply has the money to purchase one on the spot. Does the commercial make me want to have a BMW? Not exactly, because I used to want a BMW before this commercial and now don’t care about having one too much.

I will argue that as consumers and perhaps because of the increasing use of pervasive advertising in our everyday lives, that consumers continue to look for “what’s next.” By this, I mean that the attention span seems shorter than it used to be. After attending a seminar on money-making, I realized that every 20 or so minutes, the speaker went off topic and rambled off into a story, whether it be about his personal life, body-building, or another topic unrelated to the topic he was to speak about. He soon revealed that he told stories as a way to keep our attention, because the average person has an attention span of about 20 minutes. As consumers, I think we are beginning to get bored more easily than ever before, because of the rapid pace of technological change, the inevitable and increasingly unavoidable pervasiveness of both web and non-web advertising, and the changing nature of information mediums and learning.

I agree with what historian T.J. Jackson calls the “therapeutic ethos,” though not to the extent that the book describes it to be. I have personally seen the proof that Protestant work ethic, civic responsibility, and self denial has been replaced with concerns for spending and satisfaction. I do not want to overstate the current situation, however, as many are still concerned with both earning and saving money. I would argue that with the constant advent of new developments and advancements in goods such as Ipods and newer Ipods and new services such as Laser Eye Surgery and Lyposuction, that if people can afford them, they will most likely spend their money on it if should they have a relatively valid reason. Interestingly, with my friends, I see the difference in this trend between those in relative poverty and those in the middle-class. For those in more poverty, the degree of spending and freedom of spending is restricted more to necessities. However, this disparity in wealth cannot easily be observed at first glance.

With regard to commodity fetishism, I personally find it quite amusing and humorous, rather than effective in manufacturing my desire to go out and purchase products. Though I understand the connotations and ideas marketers aim to promote- namely, mysticism, wealth, class status, tradition, “cool-ness,” among countless other things, it just seems silly and overdone at times. In many of the commercials nowadays, other attractive devices are thrown together with a product, almost at random at times, and sometimes, at the point of being completely random.

The Wealth of Networks

Some of the first thoughts that come to mind when reading this article are that we may someday actually end up like the Matrix. Ok, perhaps not like the Matrix perse, but according to this article, which seems to be headed in the right direction in regard to the future of mankind and technology, much of mankind will be connected through networks. In this network, masses of information will be shared in this gargantuan connection of bits, information, and all else that is transmitted through the internet. Possible, yes. Ideal, I wouldn’t say so. The point made about internet democratizing brings to mind the people who do not have Internet. In times when technology is improving rapidly and becoming more sophisticated as we speak, people who do not have the technological resources or even the resources to purchase such vital tools will be left far behind. In this sense, the gap behind the tech-savvy and the not so tech-savvy will widen. With regard to socioeconomic levels, those at the bottom will be left in the technological dust, whereas people at the forefront of technology, and income, will continue to pave the way for technology to further impact mankind and its everyday activities, thereby leading to further potential gaps in not only achievement, but in basic common understanding, which will create numerous divides: divisions between frequent, casual, and hardcore internet users, and then divisions among those who do not have access to the technology required to participate in this changing age.

The idea of isolation referred to by Benkler is easily supported by one of the projects recently done in class, that of narcissism. Though the ideas are somewhat different, the basic concept of one resulting in isolation, at least to some extent, remains the same. Narcissism leads to a society in which people care increasingly about themselves, which is similar to the different groups that correspond to different colors in the article that isolate themselves and their traditions and habits. This could potentially lead to a further segregated society, or a society in which different segments are so individualized and specific that they resemble nearly different worlds in themselves, which would further separate the common bonds that string humanity together. On a lighter note, they could also unite people of common interests and backgrounds to have a strong, tightly-knit community, which would make members of each individual group happier. It is obvious, however, and very apparent, that the theories and ideas proposed by Benkler will most likely come true. Xanga groups, facebook groups, and various grouped blogs and sites have already created niches that support Benkler’s assertions. Hopefully, in the long run, the good will outweigh the bad.

Scientific Looking, Looking at Science

In looking at this picture and making sense of it or even before that, deciding how to make sense of it, one may think that I am an artistic photographer. One who also believes in the objectivity of images, essentially photographic truth, may admire my artful pose as I snap a picture of the person in the red shirt. If being categorized scientifically, Sherlock Holmes may belittle me by saying that I lack intelligence and "have less frontal development" than he expected.

However, as with any other image, photographic truth is, for the most part, a myth. However, the definition and its ability to be proven true or false depends on what type of image it is applied to. Also, the correct, legitimate application of the concept of this truth depends on the merits, type of image, and its significance. For example, I'm sure people could care less about this picture of myself. I, however, care about it because it features me in a somewhat cool-looking pose.

In regard to the above ideas, I don't think I'm overly not intelligent, but I do not think that I am very artistic, but this picture makes me look it, which is why I like it.

Postmodernism and Popular Culture (233-277)

Interestingly, the quip about postmodern sensibility brought to mind the massive advertising that now dominates large urban areas such as New York. An even more compelling thought that comes to mind is that of Beijing, which I just visited over Spring break, in which streets are lined with massive advertisements ranging from Nike to Adidas to Swatch to any and all brands imaginable in all different sizes. In our society of mass marketing through mass mailing, mass emailing, viral marketing- essentially mass everything, the culture of images immerses us in its flowing wake of changing brand names, flashing pictures, flowing banners, and scrolling messages.

Also, since the advent of technologies such as Tivo and recording abilities on laptops, the idea of a commonly watched and shared television or popular culture at times fails to exist, forcing advertisers to find other ways to advertise, namely through placing products surreptitiously (or so they think) in television shows and movies. One example that comes to mind is Castaway, a movie made several years ago, which basically featured countless images and clips of Fedex-related goods and forms of transportation. Though the average viewer may not think of its overt use and in some cases, overuse, the images nonetheless flash in the viewer’s mind and will tend to form memory connections there. Also, though I cannot remember the show, there was an episode of one particularly popular show whose entire plot revolved around the brand, even going so far as to have a new product like a dress or shirt custom-made for one of the sitcom’s characters. Can anyone say product placement?

Postmodernism proposes the intriguing theory of questioning the idea of one truth, instead saying that there are more than one truths. In a sense, it seems to be a movement that hearkens back to the Enlightenment in terms of its reliance on reason. However, at the same time, it reaches far beyond the Enlightenment’s sole focus on reason, even questioning the foundations of logic during that the time that basic reasoning itself was based on. In doing so, postmodernist theory seems much more applicable to the everyday in terms of its philosophical questioning of, essentially, everything. Postmodernism beckons one to think about what’s good or bad, and why, and then why that, and so on, which seems again to go back to the circular arguments of Socrates.

Individual perception complements the notion of there being many truths. Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so too is truth as well. To one person, for example, Christopher Columbus may have been the first person to journey to the Americas. However, to another person, the Chinese may have been the first. To yet another, the Native Americans or Amerindians may have beaten them both to the chase. This notion of different truths involves the idea of meaning given to different names and different actions as well, also relating to the actions done by specific individuals and how and why any of those things are important enough to be named truth or argued about.

The Mass Media and the Public Sphere

Video Clip: http://youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE

This video clip produced by a professor at Kansas State University highlights the coming issues and controversies that may confront us as a result of Web 2.0, possibly sooner than we expect. From what I got, the video clip basically argues that the “machine” is either us, using us, or both. In making this argument, one must acknowledge the creative use of various typing techniques, video editing and recording, and innovative use of texts, windows, and nearly everything related to web-browsing. Well presented, the clip states controversially that as consumers and users of the Internet, we may be consumed by it and possibly controlled. Throughout the clip, it is already scary how quickly images can be made to change. Already from the beginning, the contrast between the written words and the typed words and the speed with which the words are typed as opposed to speed of being written by hand highlights the ever-changing, nearly unpredictably frenetic pace of the change of the Internet and essentially everything on it, including news, blogs, forums, most popular searches, and all information and content available.

In what I felt to be a key part of the video, the part in which the user clicks the screen, opens the code, and modifies it, one begins to understand the magnitude of not only how easy it is to make changes on that level, but how easy it is for anyone to make any sort of changes quickly, easily, and from the looks of it, at their convenience. The pros to this are that participatory culture may become larger and more popular and possibly even replace aspects of traditional culture, including traditional forms of media and communication, such as television, radio, and possibly in the distant future, phones. This new or increasingly popular development has the potential to jumpstart a revolution.

In the last section of the video, words such as privacy, family, and ethics pass by quickly, implying that the meanings and use of these words may change, along with the meaning we have traditionally meant for them to mean. These flashing words only cause questions; for example, what will happen to not only these words, but all words in the future? As words are interconnected and have the potential to change, what will change first, the definition of the word of the actual object or idea the word has come to embody itself? Though these questions may currently seem far-fetched, with the current rapid pace of technological change in invention, the answers to these questions and the issues they relate to may only become even more complex.

Scientific Looking, Looking at Science

“Science intersects with other areas of knowledge and culture and draws on those systems in its day to day practices.” Going back to the notion of science’s role in everyday life, though we do not notice it, we are at every second exposed to technology and science. For example, the computer that I am blogging on required a scientific innovation and invention; the buildings we have class in require a certain level of scientific achievement and accomplishment. The fact that we have chicken nuggets is yet another example of the countless ones we oftentimes do not notice or think about. With such prevalence in society and in everything we do, science cannot escape influencing culture. For example, we are called the “Myspace” generation. However, even though Myspace is popular and people are constantly creating new Myspace pages, in a changing society and culture such as ours, Myspace to some has become “outdated” and something of the past. It is always becoming more obvious that the world is an ever-changing culture impacted immensely by changing and increasingly advanced technologies.

“Positivist science- in which the idea that we can know things positively and factually without the mediation of language representation systems” has been for the most part undermined by constantly-improving technology and its way of causing people to question traditional authority. The unreliability of positivist science, exemplified during King’s trial, is again constantly illustrated with new technologies, such as Photoshop and video editing software like Final Cut Pro. However, to update the idea of positivist science, its definition should be changed to include “for the most part,” as it still sees practical, reliable application in the medical field, say for example, if someone’s x-rays show a tumor of some sort, possibly implying that he or she has cancer. However, in most cases, positivist science should see more practical application in crime scene investigation, at least in situations where there are low-tech criminals.

The notion that women visually bond with their future children through sonogram images and actually change their minds about abortion illustrates the powerful impact of technology upon not only culture as a whole, but in the everyday decision making process, and especially in big decisions such as that of trying to decide whether or not to keep a baby. Nowadays, one can hop onto the internet and research whatever he or she pleases. If anyone should want a new computer, one could spend minutes researching deals and after finding a deal, possibly the cheapest deal, he or she could purchase it. In the past, limited technology prevented such research possibilities and potential for decision making. However, with increasing technologies can sometimes come dependence, addiction, and purposeful forms of either. Businesses nowadays readily expect any potential employee to research the companies they seek employment at. Otherwise, with competition, anyone who performs research will have the upper hand and easily have an advantage over another person. On some levels, technology such as the internet levels the playing field; in this example, anyone can jump on the net and become informed. However, people who don’t have access to technologies like the internet will be sorely disadvantaged. Thus, a gap appears between the tech-savvy and the tech-less.

Medical and technical or computer language and jargon now seem to be interchangeable. In describing brain and brain function, one can say that the brain “codes” a “message” before having the message carried out. In computer talk, one could “code” a program and “instant message” a friend. Though identical, the two words have very different meanings. As technology continues to be applied to more and more fields, however, words traditionally reserved or limited to technical and computer situations could become widespread and even part of our everyday vernacular.

Reproduction and Visual Technologies

The reading takes a firm stand on technological determinism which I agree with for the most part. Basically, most, if not all of the technological inventions have come about because of “collective social and cultural desires.” For example, Myspace clearly does nothing on its own; it requires users to give it a meaning, and this meaning may mean different things to different people. For example, some see it as a way to meet potential partners, while others see it as a way to simply keep in touch or socialize casually. Regardless of the purpose, for any social effects to occur, people must use technological inventions. It is similar to the Chinese saying, “You can take a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.” Also along the same lines are the saying, “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” However, though Sturken and Cartwright seem to find a balance on the subject, I find that the ample and increasingly widespread use of technology at times silly and imbalanced. By this, I mean the Myspace and Facebook fanatics, who make use of the technology, though do it to such an extent that may harm themselves and possibly other people. Also, the issue of video game freaks/addicts asks the question of whether it is the video game that is the problem, the video gamer, or a combination of both, and if it is a combination of both, what percentage should be blamed on which? To an extent, technology does control us and allow us to fulfill our more negative desires, which include things like internet addiction, AIM, and even worser things, like Facebook stalking. Regarding ethics and morality, technology does not always benefit its user.

On the topic of photography, the invention of the camera, and the resulting change in art forms by various traditional painters, it seems that rather than “allow” painters to create new forms of art, it forced them to. Monet, Picasso, and Braque may have jumped on the bandwagon of new art forms quickly, but others such as Adolf Hitler, I believe, were not able to. Thus, if one wasn’t part of the impressionist, cubist, or other such related art movements at the time, one was considered outdated. However, the advent of photography, whether it forced or allowed artists new freedom, did appear to result in new, exciting ways to paint. However, this brings to question the motives of those artists at the time; for example, did they create the new art forms because they were outdated? Did they do so out of necessity or in order to still make a living creating art? These questions look at the motive of the creation of art, which may bring into question the legitimacy of several artists and possibly art forms.

Interestingly, as time passes, meanings, connotations, and denotations of words seem to change. Authenticity, for example, is used differently now than it has been used in the past. Though in Benjamin’s time, authentic meant something “genuine, reliable, not false or copied,” it is now used more loosely, with the example of the “Authentic” label across the Docker’s ad. Art’s effect upon the meanings and concept of words, though subtle at times and more overt at others, seems to continue as technology progresses. If what is meant by authenticity has changed so much in less than one century, then to what extent will the meanings of words change from what they are today in another 50-100 years? New visual technologies such as the Ipod and its wagon of accessories and updates has already spawned new words, such as “podcasts” and require an increasing use of technology-related words such as “interface,” “analog,” and “text,” among many others. This may even impact slang. Connecting this idea to effects on culture and society, people create technology, which, when used, constantly transforms culture, identity, and society and since technology is dynamic and ever-changing, culture, identity, and society will always continue to change, just as it has been.