Thursday, 17 October 2013

COP Lecture - Consumerism

The first lecture of second year context of practice was for me, very interesting. With this year focusing on theories and philosophy I feel much more engaged in the lecture, they're ideas that I usual ponder my self from time to time, it's great to hear a fresh experienced perspective. I look forward to our following lessons where we discuss what we thought about the lecture and it's theme.

Lecture Notes

Century of Self 2002
NO LOGO 1999

Sigmund Freud 1856 - 1939
New theory is human nature
Psychoanalysis
Hidden primitive sexual forces and animal instincts.
Hidden repressed sexual and violent desires.
"The interpretation of dreams" (1899)
Society stops us from acting how we desire.
FIND Freud's model of personality structure.

Civilisation and its discontents (1930)
Fundamental tension between civilisation and the individual.
Our desires don't blend with community and desire.
To a certain extent we will always be unhappy - though we need to release it somehow.
If we can satiate our primitive desire in a socially acceptable way - as soon as we satisfy them we are essentially pacified.

WWI is a testimony of Freud's theory, typical nature of human beings in a law driven society - releasing their mass instinctual morbid desire in a global way.

Edward Bernays (1891 - 1995)
Press agent, Birth of PR, Freud is uncle.
Postwar he set up "The Council on Public Relations" effectively birth of the term PR. Employed Freudian techniques to marketing.
Links to unsatiated and unsatisfied in products with give people a false desire for that product. Effectively employing phsycological techniques.

Paid debutons to walk in through a parade and an organised moment they were to start smoking. Used cigarettes as "tourches of freedom" and women started to smoke as a symbol of power and freedom.

Fordism
Henry Ford (1863 - 1947)
Transposes taylorism to car factory's of Detroit.
Technique means to have production line and rapidly increase work flow.
Required large investment however after a short while loss turns into profit.  Was said if your product could satiate peoples desire it would be successful.
1909 - Olds Mobile (Owning a car is an act of power and act of male dominance.
Society starts to change from need to want "I want a [product] because I want to be liberated, sexually desire, like a celebrity"

Marketing Hidden Needs
"The Hidden Persuaders"
Market a product around emotionally security. A fridge actually promotes wastefulness [explain].
Esstibally selling - egos gratification, creative outlets, love objects, a sense of power, a sense of immortality.

Birth of a society that starts to believe they are free and happy when all it is, is an illusion. Actually points to a new way the governments can use these techniques to control people.

Russia Revolution begins and communism begins.

1940 - Worlds Fair effectively a huge piec of propaganda for giant business. Democrocity the idea of individual freedom - all fake, you can only be free if you spend.

- Consumerism is an ideological project, we believe that through consumption our desires can be met. The legacy of Bernays can be noticed in all aspects of society.

To what extent out are we free in the western world?

"You are not what you own"

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