Social structures in our society are molded from the culture at which we choose to consume. Cultural consumption studies explore the intricacies behind the way people consume goods and how certain goods affects societal structures. For a full 24-hour period I recorded all the instances that I was a consumer of mediated culture. CUTURAL CONSUMPTION HABITS ARE INFLUENTIAL ON THE CONTENT OF EVERYDAY MEDIA.
During my day, I was consuming three main sources off mediated culture, the first was from television, the second was from the Internet, and the third was from music. Cultural consumption habits are continually changing. Because of this, media study firms examine our culture through the content we consume as a society. People who study mediated culture learn everything about us from what fashions will be “hot” next to what types of television series would be popular. The study of our consumption habits leads to the way our society is today, from what sitcom series are on television to what Nike shoes are on shelves. Walter Benjamin was one of the first to study the connection between media and culture. His work was popularized in his 1936 essay “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”.
During my 24-hour cultural consumption period I watched approximately two hours of television. During that time I was constantly ingesting culture from television shows, commercials, and movies. Throughout my day walking to class, I was exposed to many different forms of mediated culture. For example, I saw propaganda on posters and billboards and listened to music that influences cultural change. Once I was finished with my classes I sat down for dinner and read the newspaper. I realized I was consuming more than just food, I was consuming culture on a global stage. Media influences culture so much because media is connected to everyone. Today, since everyone is networked together, culture has become a direct influence on society through the content shared on these global mediums. After dinner, I went and got on the Internet where I personally consume most of my mediated culture. After I spend most of my night on the computer I realize I spend approximately 75% of my typical day exposed to different culture-consuming media.
Some of the organizations that generate the content I consume during my typical day were The Seattle Post, The Discovery Channel, NCAA Basketball Association, Komo 4 News, and Nike. These organizations study our culture to help marketing and business profits. Big organizations like these have study teams that try to comprehend what the next “hit” product will be. As culture changes media must change to fit the needs of society, this is why televisions shows fade in and out. Take the HBO channel for example, it has an entirely different lineup of television shows each day. Today the HBO channel studies why certain films are consumed by culture while others are not. Mediated culture is a term that refers to how media affects cultural trends or cultural consumption habits. The media industry studies our culture like a scientist studies a test subjects. They investigate our culture and probe our society to find out how and why we consume certain goods. “What we consume, ends up consuming us” Brad Pit, Fight Club
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Cultural Identity and the iPod
We as consumers in this world are what we consume. We are constant consumers of culture. The culture we take in shapes the way we think, the way we act, it tells us what to wear and what not to wear. Culture comes to shape our identity. The term ideology is defined as modes of thoughts that are produced by culture that affects how we act in the world. Since it popularity, the Ipod has come to shape the way we act in the world. The Ipod is more than just a successful product bought and sold; it is an icon of cultural identity.
The products you buy and the information you consume on a daily basis influences your personal identity. My Ipod identifies me as not only a lover of music but also a highly active person. My Ipod has affected my daily life by making a more independent and free sprit. The Ipod exudes cultural ideals that emphasize freewill, purity, and naturalness. Apple advertisers construct this ideology, take for instance Ipod commercials, these commercials display dancers rockin’ out freely with the signature white headphone cord dangling from the ears. The color of most the original Ipods was white, a color that is identified by many as pure, natural and even holy. Apple creates this ideology that its products are natural and pure, which is an ideology that is universally identified and sought after in our culture. In an effort is increase the individuality and mainstream appeal of the Ipod, Apple has integrated different colors, sizes, and models that each produce their own different ideologies to which different consumers can identity themselves with. These different colors have been incorporated to make Ipods more individual but in the process they have become gendered representations. Certain models and colors of Ipods are defined by culture as being either males or females. This is just another way we as a culture attribute human characteristics to inanimate objects. The Ipod is so much a part of our culture that it is given superficial meaning in our society.
The Ipod is so rooted in our culture that it has become a fashion symbol. Today it is very rare to go into public and not see someone sporting the white earphones. Some may say the Ipod is just a product and has no bearing on a consumer’s identity. Then we must ask ourselves what makes a product popular in modern society, is it because it is so much better then all the competitors? The answer is no, popularity is a result of people trying to identify themselves with a popular cultural ideology. People buy popular products that identify themselves with others in a certain ideological group. I knew the Ipod was not the best mp3 player on the market when I was buying; I bought it though because of the cultural identity it would impose on me. Buying the Ipod instantly identifies me with everyone else. This directly refers to our definition of ideology; modes of thinking produced by culture influence the way I purchase certain goods.
Advertisement for the Ipod has given it an artificial image, breathing life into an inanimate object. “The commodification of human relations is one of the most pervasive influences of modern advertising and photography play an important role in creating images expressive of human emotions and relations which are used to give products superficial or false meaning.” This means the Ipod’s ideology to which everyone seems to want to identity themselves with is, in all actuality, a false identity. The ideology associated with the Ipod is a product of constructed advertising.
Every product in modern society is tailored to the needs of our commodity culture. By analyzing a run-of-the-mill advertisement, we can understand how advertisements are constructed and act ideologically to support commodity culture. Products like the Ipod influence our culture and the way we act in it, we must realize that their identities are false. We must view and interpret culture from a skeptical standpoint and see under the superficial surface of our commodity culture. The more we become students of culture the less it will be able to influence us.
The products you buy and the information you consume on a daily basis influences your personal identity. My Ipod identifies me as not only a lover of music but also a highly active person. My Ipod has affected my daily life by making a more independent and free sprit. The Ipod exudes cultural ideals that emphasize freewill, purity, and naturalness. Apple advertisers construct this ideology, take for instance Ipod commercials, these commercials display dancers rockin’ out freely with the signature white headphone cord dangling from the ears. The color of most the original Ipods was white, a color that is identified by many as pure, natural and even holy. Apple creates this ideology that its products are natural and pure, which is an ideology that is universally identified and sought after in our culture. In an effort is increase the individuality and mainstream appeal of the Ipod, Apple has integrated different colors, sizes, and models that each produce their own different ideologies to which different consumers can identity themselves with. These different colors have been incorporated to make Ipods more individual but in the process they have become gendered representations. Certain models and colors of Ipods are defined by culture as being either males or females. This is just another way we as a culture attribute human characteristics to inanimate objects. The Ipod is so much a part of our culture that it is given superficial meaning in our society.
The Ipod is so rooted in our culture that it has become a fashion symbol. Today it is very rare to go into public and not see someone sporting the white earphones. Some may say the Ipod is just a product and has no bearing on a consumer’s identity. Then we must ask ourselves what makes a product popular in modern society, is it because it is so much better then all the competitors? The answer is no, popularity is a result of people trying to identify themselves with a popular cultural ideology. People buy popular products that identify themselves with others in a certain ideological group. I knew the Ipod was not the best mp3 player on the market when I was buying; I bought it though because of the cultural identity it would impose on me. Buying the Ipod instantly identifies me with everyone else. This directly refers to our definition of ideology; modes of thinking produced by culture influence the way I purchase certain goods.
Advertisement for the Ipod has given it an artificial image, breathing life into an inanimate object. “The commodification of human relations is one of the most pervasive influences of modern advertising and photography play an important role in creating images expressive of human emotions and relations which are used to give products superficial or false meaning.” This means the Ipod’s ideology to which everyone seems to want to identity themselves with is, in all actuality, a false identity. The ideology associated with the Ipod is a product of constructed advertising.
Every product in modern society is tailored to the needs of our commodity culture. By analyzing a run-of-the-mill advertisement, we can understand how advertisements are constructed and act ideologically to support commodity culture. Products like the Ipod influence our culture and the way we act in it, we must realize that their identities are false. We must view and interpret culture from a skeptical standpoint and see under the superficial surface of our commodity culture. The more we become students of culture the less it will be able to influence us.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)