It is often argued that people use consumerism to define who they are as an attempt to try and make up for the loss of spiritual meaning in their lives. (Edwards: 2000:64) Jhally (1992) thought that advertising was almost equivalent to a modern day religion. However this is open to interpretation as to whether consumerism is an effective enough communicator of social values and identities to be defined in this extreme manner. It is often thought that whilst consumerism isn’t powerful enough to replace religion, it can go some way in attempting to do so, as within traditional society the world of consumerism is often far from meaningless and is frequently integral to social or spiritual value systems.
It seems that everyday culture and social identity, can now be manufactured at the whim of big businesses and state apparatus. And that social consciousness itself could be produced almost as effortlessly as assembly lines produce bars of soap (Lee 1993:98). Baudrillard stated that goods could also help to make and maintain social relationships as he thought that the purchasing of certain goods could help individuals to establish themselves within groups through the identification of others who possess the same goods. This idea further portrays the concept of individuals using consumerism to help them define a place within society.
Marx believed that there was a process of commodification whereby all aspects of life become subject to the laws of the market place. As well as goods and services, people and relationships are reduced to a monetary value in an increasingly capitalist world. (Miles 1998:56). Similarly the thinkers of the Frankfurt School also thought that consumerism played a large role in defining individuals perceptions of themselves. Marcuse in particular agreed with this and invented the concept of the “one dimensional man” whereby people recognize themselves in their commodities; they find their souls in their automobile, hi-fi set and kitchen equipment.
The work of Thorstein Veblen (1989) supports the ideology that consumption plays a large role in defining who “we” are. Veblen argued that higher social groupings would continually update their consumption habits in order to stay ahead of the lower classes. Thus Veblen thought that social groups used consumerism to help maintain their social status, thus maintaining their sense of group identity. He saw consumer goods as markers of social prestige and status. Veblen identified an elaborate system of rank and grades the markers of consumption expressing a persons place in the social hierarchies of class.
Simmel (1957) discussed the role of consumer fashion as a form of social class demarcation, putting together the security of commonality with others and ones own individuality. He saw society to be a compromise between adherence and absorption in a social group and the needs for individuation with the members of the group. Simmels work thus supports the idea that consumer behaviour can help to define whom an individual will see as “we”. (Miles 1998:78)
The work of Bordieu looks at how consumption can be used as a means of establishing, as opposed to merely expressing, variations between social groups, He argues that human beings are motivated by the need to reproduce a collective pattern of preferences based on class demarcation. The implication is that consumption amounts to a set of cultural resources that underpins consumer’s everyday lives. (Miles) Thus the opinion of Bordieu is such that consumption helps to define who we are.
Advertisements take a human value of emotion, for instance maternal love, and turn it into a metaphor or symbol that can then be commodified. Thus leading the consumer to believe that they must by products in order to demonstrate emotions. This is referred to as the “commodity Value”. (Goldman 1992:43)
Bococks work highlights the fact that consumption is not to be analysed as the satisfaction of a biologically rooted set of needs. Instead consumption actively involves signs, ideas and values which are used as a means of marking off one social group from another, helping to establish a sense of “we”.
The importance of consumption for defining who we are cannot be ignored when we look at the way in which modern society considers with alarm those who do not want to consume more and more. (Corrigan 1997:10). Here we can see that consumption is considered to be highly important in modern day life and those who do not participate may be subjected to social alienation.
One view is that there is an issue of product personality, an almost anthropomorphic transformation of a product into a type of person, whereby for example BMW’s become loaded with associations of success, sexiness, virility and even masculinity, and Renaults are French, flirtatious, feminine. This commodification of personality ensues that you are the product you buy and therefore without it you are not you. This view states that there is a meaning attached to certain products, and thus by obtaining these products the individual can convey a message to others which will in turn help them to associate with other groups in society.
There is much agreement amongst sociologists that women are more affected by advertising and consumer culture. The consumer who is gullible and easily duped by the machinations of the advertisers is usually female (Nava: 1992:37). Goldman (1992:43) believed that since the feminist movement, advertisers have been able to play on women’s increased sexual confidence and autonomy, then turn it into a commodity feminism. This then means that women in turn feel that control over such factors as their appearance is equated with control over ones future.
The rise of consumerism has had a large focus over the course of the 20th century; consequently the importance attainted to it and its impact on society is immense, if a little misplaced. (Edwards 2000:56)
Whilst there is still much debate over how far consumption defines who we are, it is standard ethnographic practice to assume that all material possessions carry some social meaning (Douglas and Isherwood: 1997).
There seems to be little doubt amongst sociologists that consumption within modern society plays a role in defining who “we” are and it is clear that consumerism remains central in shaping our conceptions of ourselves. However differing perspectives argue over exactly how far consumerism goes in shaping our personalities it is often said that cynicism and boredom about consumerism is a widespread feeling and part of a more widespread product of post-modern culture. However it is clear that whilst people may feel cynical about consumerism it still plays a large role in defining who they are within society.
