Essay

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