The Ideology of Consumption and Consumerism
Consumption, as based on an ideological ground, is argued in various
disciplines in the contemporary time. It is an ideology penetrating most
of the social mechanisms in 21st century. According to
Odabaşi (1999), ideology of today’s world is what the concept of
consumption indicates. It is an ideology based on a wealthier life; as a
consequence of more production and more consumption. Thus taking
consumption as the preliminary trait and occupation of individuals,
consumerism is an attribute of the society1. Bocock
(1993) indicates that consumption is an active ideology within which
life finds different meanings; an ideology spread over modern
capitalism. This ideology serves the legitimization of capitalism and
also everyday lives of many people; motivating them to be consumers in
both fantasy and reality .
Concepts such as meaning of life are in a tight relationship withculture . In other words, culture is a medium through which social
groups bond in their everyday life and find connection and social
identity where meaning of life can be found. Jameson (1979) considers
culture as the very element of consumer society; indicating that
societies have never been saturated with signs and images as this
society. In his writings on postmodern culture he suggests to expand the
culture prodigiously through the social realm instead of keeping the
semi-autonomous cultural sphere, so that everything can be addressed to
as cultural (Jameson, 1984a). As the wealthier life becomes vital for
the culture or the ideology of consumption, image becomes fundamental in
portraying wealth among individuals and groups. The ideology of
consumption, becoming a tool for accumulation of the capital, conducts
societies towards a cycle of production- consumption. Yet, Daniel Bell
(1976) argues that production comes with discipline and hard work, while
consumption generates an act of irresponsibly pursuing pleasure .
A wealthier life that exists in both reality and imagination, or
fantasy, is occupying the consumer’s view of the world. This world
includes both physical and mental realms2. The mental
dream world of the consumer society will need to be realized as a vision
towards a ‘being in the world’3. Thus, there are
different sides to the relations between the consumers, ideology,
culture and the world. Following Jameson’s earlier mentioned statement,
as everything becomes cultural in the contemporary society, the act of
consumption becomes cultural. Featherstone in his book ‘Consumer culture
and postmodernism’ (2007) brings three main perspectives on consumer
culture:
- Expansion of capitalist mode of production created the consumer
culture, which has led to an immense accumulation of material culture,
mediated by consumer commodities and sites for purchase and
consumption. As a result, leisure and consumption activities have
grown prominently in Western societies.
- A more sociological view that focuses on various ways in which people
use commodities to get socially close or distinct; with the idea that
there is a relationship between the satisfaction derived from goods
and their socially structured descending game. Thus, satisfaction and
status depend on exhibiting and sustaining the differences within
conditions of increase.
- A view including questions of consumption’s emotionalpleasures , dreams and desires . Features that are
celebrated in consumer cultural imagery and specific consumption
sites, which diversely generate straight physical excitementsand aesthetic pleasures .
The ideology of consumption works with those who afford goods and those
who dream of them; it opens the ‘dream world’ to the whole society.
Consumerism enters the practice of everyday life through advertisements,
media and so on; and to the social practice through the production of
spaces. It creates culture and habits or lifestyle; it provides this
lifestyle with spaces within which consumption occurs due to giving
pleasure to the consumers. Spaces are qualified for the contemporary use
by making images and creating sites for leisure. This combination
becomes reality in the contemporary urban practice and production of
spaces. Thus, producing spaces as mediums through which the act of
consumption can sustain turns into an ultimate goal for the consumer
society4.
Creating such mediums reflects in the city. Urban practice in the
society of consumers becomes partially a constant production of images
that activate the ideology of consumption in a greater scale. Exposition
of social space is more about the outlook rather than its content; and
accordingly urban practice, taken as social production, comes parallel
to making of images.