Consumerism as a form of
unconscious manipulation
Within this essay I am going explore how we, as a
consumerist society are subconsciously controlled by the design culture and
ideology which lies within it, which tells you how to think, feel and be;
distorting and masking our way of thinking about the world.
'We are surrounded by images
of an alternative way of life...' (Berger, Ways of seeing, British broadcasting
corporation and Penguin Books .)
Within 1920's we as a society saw the rise of mass
consumer persuasion; glamorized advertisements and the practice of product
placement within movies; The starting point of consumerist thinking and behavior.
"A change has come over our democracy, it is
called consumptions. The American citizen first importance to its country is no
longer citizen, but consumerism." (An American Journalist, 1927, The
Century of the self.)
Within ‘The Century of the self’, we are told that
Edward Bernays was a strong instigator within this new rising movement of
thinking; he brought forward psychological theory of how corporances were going
to appeal to the masses.
“Bernays was one of the first to use Freud’s ideas
about human beings, and use them to manipulate the masses.” (Curtis, A.)
He was employed to promote war aims to the press, he
was skillful at doing so, so promoted such ideas internationally. Bernays began
to wonder, if it was possible to use the same methods of persuasion
(propaganda) for peace, so much so, he began studying 'The mind of the crowd'.
He began searching for a way to manage and control people; a way to alter the
way a crowd thought and felt. This began a new political idea on how to control
the masses, American corporations began to make people want things they didn't
need; unconscious desires, after finding that information drives behavior.
Bernays
had taken much influence from his uncle; Freud, who had experimented with the
minds of the popular classes. One case study was altering the way society
thought about women smoking, at the time it was thought as a taboo. Cigarettes
were seen to represent the penis, to be of power, If a woman were to smoke, she
would metaphorically have power. During a parade, several women were given a
signal to begin smoking a cigarette they had hidden beneath their clothing.
Freud had already prepared an idea, that the women were to look although they
were suffragettes, making a stand for freedom, a message for more independence,
to represent the iconic figure of the statue of liberty, holding a torch.
Through using this 'image', Freud had made it more socially acceptable for
women to smoke. Freud knew that on looking press would pick up on this 'idea',
and how irrelevant objects, such as a cigarette, can be represented how you are
seen by others.
Within Modern society we
are surrounded by Advertisements, and see similar techniques as to that used by
Freud. Within 'Decoding Advertisements', (Williamson,
2002) explains that
advertising is an "inevitable part of
everyone’s lives…" stating that you don't even have to be 'directly
involved in the media, it's all around us". Through the use of semiotics
and ideology we are pushed to believe to want to look and feel a certain way,
and without commodities, we can’t fit to this acceptable criterion. This system
of ideas masks and distorts our way of thinking, we are no longer an image of
our skills, but by our materials and commodities. “People are identified by
what the consume, rather than what they produce.”(Williamson, 2002)
Michel
Foucault, a theorist interested in the mechanism of discipline relates closely
to consumerism, the way it controls society and can be manipulated to act, look
or feel a certain way. The Panopticon, designed by Jeremy
Bentham 1791, was a structural design which relied on surveillance, isolation
and visibility. A circular structure, this was said to be used as a
design for institutions, such as prisons, schools and hospitals; a prime
example being the Leeds University Brotherton Library. Student sit in
/sectioned' area's, which can be overlooked by anyone standing within the
library, be that on the same level, or above. The idea was if a person
was to be isolated, to be on constant surveillance, but know not of who could
be watching them, would be self controlling. Once internalized that your
isolated, permanently visible, you conform to a set of ideas that you think the
person watching you wants to behave like. You start to control yourself.
Foucault believes the Panopticon as a metaphor for the way society controls its
citizens, an allergy of how we’re controlled in our day-to-day lives. In
summary the Panopticon design symbolizes our day to day life, a figure of we’re
controlled. This can be linked back to consumerism, as Jeremy Bullmore
explains, 'Advertising doesn't sell things; all
advertising does is change the way people think or feel’. A method of mental
control, we are surrounded by images which do this. Walking through any City
Centre we, as a society are inescapable of the posters littering street walls,
billboards sprawling oversized images of commodities. Fed these ideas through
image, to be ‘subjected’ upon by others opinions; a giant modern panopticon. We
are survellienced, by other humans, through what we wear, how much we pay for
something and the objects we purchase, their opinion is of great importance to
us. Subconsciously, we use commodities to represent ourselves, without even realizing
we’re doing so. Foucault calls this the ‘Docile body’ (Olssen, 1999). We buy a new item, feel great satisfaction, know it
will make you look and feel a certain way, a way in which you want others to
see you, but don’t always identify yourself with these thoughts. We simply
‘do’; 'He is seen, but he does not see; he is the object'(Olssen, 1999).
We conform, as we do to the panopticon, to an expected behavior by the system
(by society and consumerism), we are no longer in control, a sense of
exploitation, Foucault explains that 'power only exists because a person lets
themselves be exploited by such power' (Olssen, 1999) Consumerism does so,
along with the design, ideology and images, which lie within it. Design becomes
political.
'Advertising
design, in persuading people to buy things they don't need, with money they don't
have, in order to impress others who don't care' - Papenek (1971)
The above
quote I believe a brilliant summary of how we are subconsciously controlled,
how the idea of a ‘docile body’, is apparent within a consumerist and
capitalist society, as Berger explains, it 'Creates a
false desire to gain a symbolic association and therefore perpetuates false
needs.' (Berger, Ways of seeing, British broadcasting
corporation and Penguin Books .), Retail
outlets have began to use this method in design, as a unconscious method of
control, specifically I am going to look at retail graphics, and store layout
in accordance to the panopticon, consumerism and 'unconscious minds'.
Rene Descartes, ' I think therefore I am', discourse as method, is a question
of existence, possibly stating that in a modern society we can only exist
through our commodities, as we give an image which others perceive us on, as
advertisers make products 'mean' something, which is translated through
ourselves. Within 'Decoding Advertisements', Williamson,
J, suggests that advertisements provide a structure, transforming the
language of objects to that of people. "Advertising sets up connections
between certain types of consumers and certain products." Using signifiers
and what is signified to create the connection. The quote ' I think therefore I
am', was manipulated for use with retail graphics, Selfridges retail store
produced large designs holding the words 'I shop therefore I am', designed by
Barbara Kruger.
Again. the
idea of commodities being in control of our existence, the fact that this
statement, giving its meaning, has been placed in a retail environment. It
pushes the idea forward even more. We see the retail graphic, unconsciously
understand it, what its connoting, but do not react to it. We have become a
'docile body', we conform to the behavior of everyone else in the store at that
time. To look, to purchase, to leave. This is what we 'feel' we have to do,
through elements of panopticism, and consumerism, we are told this is what we
are to do, that purchasing these items will make us 'feel' a certain way.
Selfridges itself offers, as a brand, a sense of luxury, of being up to date
within the fashion trends. This can be said across many stores, whether it be
retail or not, each have their own 'idea' of what they can offer to us, what
lifestyle we can apparently have by purchasing their products.
'In using
'lifestyle', retailers don't just want to sell goods, they want consumers to
aspire to a brand as a promise of a way of living.’ (Manuelli ,2006:132)
The store
'Habitat' was one of the first to understand this idea, to push the idea of
'lifestyle experience' forward through design. This was arguably started in
1964 in Habitats London store, customers were able to pick and choose furniture
'to create an environment that was reflective of the 1960s joyous mode of
living'. (Manuelli ,2006:132)
"Habitat
was the first shop to identify its products and its image as part of a wider
ethos. Its groundbreaking ideas was to offer a stylish affordable way of living
to the masses….a reflection of continental ways of living.' (Manuelli ,2006:132)
The store
'Ikea' have taken the idea of offering a 'lifestyle' a step forward. Ikea holds
a 'lifestyle' within its products, the logo and branding carries the colours of
the swedish flag, this then reflects the design qualities often associated with
sweden, 'including an emphasis on natural materials and the use of bright
colours.' The store layout has been of great reason for the success in the mass
market, its labyrinth like pathways within the warehouse has been
"Engineered so that customers will view all the products from the
full-scale room sets' 'The inspired retails space', 2003, Rockport publishers,
Cironna Dean, Pg.122, this in itself urges customers to physically 'test' the
items before purchase, and customers do so. Foucalts theory of control is
apparent within Ikea, and its store layout mechanism. We as customers are urged
to follow the endless corridors sweeping through the store, although there are
'shortcuts' cutting through each room, its very rare we actually take them.
Retail graphics throughout the store give us direction, through the use of
arrows and information boards, there is little advertisement of the shortcuts.
The idea of the 'unconscious mind', seeing but not reacting, is apparent. This,
of course, is done intentionally, so we as customers traipse through the entire
store, potentially seeing other items we feel we may want or need, this is certainly
a consumerist mechanism, they don't want us to miss an opportunity to
buy.
We have become
a dominate consumerist society, one of which makes little decision for itself,
instead it told, through design, unconscious manipulation and consumerism how to
look, feel and act, according to Foucault previously mentioned within this
essay. We live in a modern panopticon, littered by ideas, beliefs and opinions
of how to exist through commodities, we ourselves have become an object, we are
seen, but do not see, as Foucault puts it. We are no longer represented by our
skills, but instead, by what we consume, Williamson, J,“People are identified
by what the consume, rather than what they produce.”. We are fed an image of
how we are meant to be, act or look by the visual images and objects around us.
Its the idea of spectacle. Instead or seeing a relationship between people, we
a relationship between commodities, people and 'things'. Through retail
graphics we are directed, whether that be physically, or mentally, to purchase.
To feel a false need to want something so desperately, that we will feel
inadequate if we don't do so. We each conform to these 'rules', we have become
docile bodies, we do not challenge such conformities, we simply follow them.
Word Count: 1998
Bibleography:
Adorno, T, 'The culture industry', Routledge,
1991
Foucault, M, 'Materialism and education', Olson, M,
2005
Dant, T, 'Material Culture in the social world', Open
University Press, Tim Dant,1999
Kidd, W, 'Culture and Identity', Warren Kid, 2002
Dean, C, 'The inspired retail space attract
customers, build branding, increase volume', Rockport Publishers, 2003
Manuelli, S, 'Design for shopping New retail
interiors', Laurence King Publishing, 2006
Williamson, J, 'Decoding Advertisements', Marion
Boyars, 2002
Berger, J, Dibber, M,
'Ways of seeing', British broadcasting corporation and
Penguin Books
The Century of the self -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyPzGUsYyKM
Thomas, A, Markus, Cameron, D, 'The words between the
spaces', Routledge, 2002
