Consumers Markets and Culture Essay

Comp atomic number 18 and contrast the changing obtains of consumers from the year 1900 until resign day. How do the theories of Marx, Durkheim and weber help to explain the changing consumer experience and the emergence of present-day(a) consumer familiarity?Until the eighteenth century the word aspiration meant waste (Williams, 1976)As consumers our experience of white plague straight off is exponenti each(prenominal)y different from that at the tump all over of the twentieth century in the recently urbanised and industrialised new-fashioned nation. Consumer culture is traditionally described in terms of the arrival of freshet consumption as a counterpart to luck production as a government issue of the Fordist arrangement (Miles, S). Choice is one of the biggest factors of the changing experience for consumers, du resonance the 1950s after the austerity years the straight aging kid boomers were part of large scale changes to consumption patterns.For theoretical acc ount as women began to usher in the work place sledding less time to run the home, products were beingness developed to ease the burden of ho social occasionwork, washing machines, fridges and vacuum cleaners were among these products the ever-development use of hire purchase to enable consumers to afford these luxury products, combined with Fordist methods of mass production reducing the manufacturing cost of the products allowed the economy to grow strong erst enchantment again. As television grew in popularity advertising was change magnitudely utilised by businesses to sell their products creating a far more impersonal environment trance shopping for products. From this time the standard of living has been increasing up until present day (The Economist, 2008) with the aspirations of society increasing further still.Marx presents his theories as a materialist correspondence of society, explaining capitalism as an unequal system based on the growth of the bring low class (Abercrombie N et al, 2006), a system based on surplus value being extracted, the capitalists entire mystify is to maximise the gap between value produced and value paid for (Slater D, 1997). Which a light speed yearsago meant using Fordist methods of production to bring follow up costs and reducing the skill required of workers which in turn rock-bottom the compensation needed for workers. The Fordist method of production first seen around 1911 (Cohen and Kennedy, 2007), alter workers from the act of production. In his theory of Alienation Marx describes merciful essence as being effected through labour (Abercrombie et al, 2006) and works as an unknown activity that offers no intrinsic satisfaction as the worker has no control over what is produced this loss of ownership and loss of control over the workers own life receivable to management organising and enforcing the labour.Where during the early twentieth our working classes were exploited and Alienated, now capitalists in the quest towards fall wages and output the gap between value produced and value paid for atomic number 18 increasing looking to less economically developed countries where costs of production, epically workers atomic number 18 a lottimes lower. The counties known as BRIC economic group (Brazil, Russia, India and China). By indiscriminately consuming as a society, this encourages the expansion of exploitation of foreign working classes. Bauman proposes post-industrial societies be governed by aesthetics of consumption rather than ethics of production (Cohen & Kennedy, 2007). Organisations much(prenominal) as Apple, Nike and similarly Primark ar guilty of this system, the former two sell premium priced products produced at the lowest cost possible cost, by attaching emblematical nitty-gritty to the products.Primark produces clothes at the lowest cost possible which atomic number 18 retailed for the lowest cost possible consumers buy into this system with no feelings of guilt, as these products allow consumers to display possessions acting as social glue perchance due in part to the increasing Alienation of workers as society is increasingly detached from production with the service based economy we do it today. Durkheims concept of Anomie is similar to Alienation, discussing Anomic felo-de-se due to people no knowing how they fit in with society where possessions are used as social glue allowing consumers to display their beliefs and social groups. It is harder to link Marxs definitions of the class system as the proximity to production is comme il faut increasingly distant for most of society.Every capitalist is trying to diminution the wages and consumption of their own workers and entice everyone elses workers to consume to their frontier andbeyond. (Slater, D 1997)Marxism, as other modern economic theories believe, that the production and consumption of products is intrinsically connected, in the sense that incomes from production an d consumer buying power are two sides of the same coin. (Slater, D 1997). This theory is particularly relevant now due to the current economic climate. As the recession began in 2008 legion(predicate) workers lost their jobs or suffered signifi displacet cuts in wages this resulted in a widespread decrement in consumer sp displaceing as a result society ended up a cycle of ever decreasing demand where the government had to intervene to stimulate spending. Of the stimulus the VAT reduction had an impact by reducing the cost of products, to reduce ever growing back up of cars as they still needed to be produced to control the workers in employment the car scrapage final cause was introduced temporarily (Lloyds, 2009). In this scheme two thousand pounds was offered if a old car was scrapped in flip for a new car.Capitalists driven to mass production, not by avarice but conditions of capitalism (Edwards T, 2000), if not competing, competitors testament capture markets through low er prices. This practice discussed by Marx leads to situations like the above were supply far exceeds demand. A good example of over production can be put in by searching for any random product on a supplier listings website, Alibaba.com subscribe over 64,979 different belt buckles available. Durkheim predicted that modern industrial societies would over-emphasise the importance of individuality which would erode social stability and solidarity (Schmidt, R 2010), consumers are sold their own individuality through advertising campaigns a hardly a(prenominal) examples are Dells Yours is here, My Yahoo. Products are increasingly customisable, winding phone cases are a hugely popular consumer item. Durkheim argues that people can only be happy when their wants are proportionate to their means.Left to themselves, human desires are boundless together with necessarily limited recourses, creates great unhappiness or ultimately suicide (Abercrombie et al 2006). Society controls the prob lem of unachievable goals by restricting desires through values aimed at permitting only goals which ask some chance of attainment. The X-Factor is currently the most popular television class (Plunkett, J 2010) as dreams of mostly unattainable goals are being realised for a lucky number of consumers. Thisis a stark contrast to the 1940s where society was based around family values, working together to repair Britain where jobs were pass judgment for life. Anomie describes the situation when this framework breaks down, goals again outrun means and suicide rate rises (Abercrombie et al 2006). Weber predicted that society would experience unprecedented upcountry loneliness of the single individual (Cohen & Kennedy, 2007), this is a very accurate verbal description of the contemporary experience, more than ever consumers are looking to the symbolic meaning of products to identify with their desired social groups and status.Social media is an interesting way to take in the inner lone liness experience, taking facebook where consumers might have several hundred friends who are merely acquaintances, with few solid friendships, while there is blackjack to appear to have acquired huge numbers of friends on social networks. To look for further into the loneliness of individuals, one in three households now have just one member compared with one in five in the 1970s (BBC, 2004) this is known as the meal for one society, more than half(prenominal) the meals eaten in the UK are now eaten alone. Traditional family unit is also enough less common, with predictions indicating that in 2011 more than sixty percent of marriages will end in divorce (BBC, 2004). Weber discuses formal rationalisation of society as it becomes more industrialised and that this rationality is inevitable, the greater calculability required for rationalisation has abnormal greatly the consumer experience (Cohen & Kennedy, 2007), consumers save for the wealthy classes, have an impersonal consum ption experience.Self service check outs are a perfect example of this, once a shop keeper in the local store, would ring through and bag up your products now in the national and often multinational store, consumers ring through and bag up their own shopping. The magisterial measured approach to contemporary life has created a predictable almost emotionless society, the consumption of university is a relevant example to the author, students are prize by their identification number only, few if any university staff will know students names, no individuality between the students leaving students to display their personality and attachments through the conspicuous consumption of goods with symbolic meaning. Whereas the fumble boomers will remember university involving debates with friendly tutors, with little care about appearances. This system creates greater efficiency, economic growth andcontrol of nature, the iron cage describes this situation. nevertheless it does lead society towards the theories of Anomie and Alienation by Durkheim and Marx respectively. Calculability becomes an organising principle in the overall personality where ever more of our behaviour is informed by consistent logical expectations of human beings and of the environment. Spontaneity and surprise are experienced less and less in society, with calculability everything becomes increasingly predictable, unexpected events are mean for and avoided through policies and rules.The commoditisation of adventure is a good example of the disenchantment of society, Disneyland and all it represents takes the excitement out of spontaneity due to the iron cage of functionalism and rationality. Weber sees class defined by income, (Cohen & Kennedy, 2007) explaining that classes form around market positions, amongst people who share similar life chances which is relevant to the differences seen in society today from that at 1900, social mobility much more fluid with government actively perusing pol icies pulling people up the class system.The theories of Marx, Durkheim and Weber are relevant to society today Weber the youngest of the theorists has accurate concepts relating to the bureaucracy experienced in the post-industrial age which explain well the changing experiences of consumers. Durkheims theories on Anomie in relation to individualism and the breakdown of society while religions stability isnt the answer are partially interesting in explaining how society consumes conspicuously, using products as social glue to find a place in society.Marxs idea on Alienation of workers, as Anomie explains aspects of the consumer mindset today. The globalisation of business taking the class conflict Marx discuses around the world. The current economic climate demonstrates that capitalism has failings even if the least(prenominal) of these is disconnecting individuals from a more intrinsic and meaningful existences within society.Capitalism at the same time produces more goods and less effective demand to pay for them. (Slater, D 1997) quotesAbercrombie, N (2006) Penguin summon Dictionary of Sociology. 5th Ed Pengin, London. P 235 Abercrombie, N (2006) Penguin Reference Dictionary of Sociology. 5th Ed Pengin, London. P 360 Abercrombie, N et al (2006) Penguin Reference Dictionary of Sociology. 5th Ed Pengin, London. P 14 Abercrombie, N et al (2006) Penguin Reference Dictionary of Sociology. 5th Ed Pengin, London. P 18 Alibaba.com (2010) depend for Belt Buckles Accessed on 19/11/2010 Available at http//www.alibaba.com/Belt-Buckles_pid3391301 BBC give-and-take (2004) Portrait of the meal for one society Accessed on 25/11/10 Available at http//news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3445091.stm Buttler, C (2007) The industrial Revolution. Flow of History.com Accessed on 22/11/10 Available at http//www.flowofhistory.com/units/eme/17/FC0121 Cohen, R and Kennedy, P (2007) Global Sociology 2nd Ed. Palgrave Macmillan, Hampshire. P 300 Cohen, R and Kennedy, P (2007) Global Soc iology 2nd Ed. Palgrave Macmillan, Hampshire. P 81 Cohen, R and Kennedy, P (2007) Global Sociology 2nd Ed. Palgrave Macmillan, Hampshire. P 94 Desmond, J (2003) Consuming Behaviour. Palgrave, Hampshire Edwards, T (2000) Contradictions of Consumption Concepts, practices and politics in consumer society. Open University Press, Buckingham Lloyds.com (2009) Unsold cars face stock exposures Accessed on s19/11/2010 Available at http//www.lloyds.com/News-and-Insight/News-and-Features/Market-news/Specialist-2009/Unsold_cars_face_storage_exposures Miles, S (1998) Consumerism as a way of life. London, Sage. Plunkett, J (2010) Gardian.co.uk X Factor steals the show with 13.6m viewers. Accessed on 29/11/2010 Available at http//www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/nov/29/x-factor-tv-ratings Schmidt, R (2010) Functionalism and Consumption babble out Notes. I know sorry, I just really liked the sentence. Sekora, J (1977) Luxuary The concept in western though. Eden to Smollet, Balimore. As quoted by Sl ater, D (1997) Consumer finis and Modernity. Cambridge, Polity Press. P 176 Slater, D (1997) Consumer Culture and Modernity. Cambridge, Polity Press. P 175 Slater, D (1997) Consumer Culture and Modernity. Cambridge, Polity Press. P 176 Slater, D (1997) Consumer Culture and Modernity. Cambridge, Polity Press. P 181 Slater, D (1997) Consumer Culture and Modernity. Cambridge,