During the 20th century, the industrialised countries have developed an extensive amount of obsolescence. It has become clear that nations in the developed world over-consume, while the poor in the developing world pay the price of our increased consumption with their lowered standards of living and increasing environmental damage .
When did obsolescence emerge, in how far is it planned, and which consequences does it have for consumer culture and the promotional self on a broader scale? By drawing on numerous examples, this essay explains how advertisements are constructed semiotically and the ideologies they derive from.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Consumer Culture
The History of Consumer Culture
The Role of Advertising in a capitalist Consumer Culture
How to analyze Ads
Consequences of planned Obsolescence
Advertising creates new Needs constantly
Advertisements praise the New to be better than the Old
Convincing consumers of the indispensable Possession of a Product
Products and images
Strategies to deal with obsolescence
Conclusion
Literature
Objectives and Core Themes
This essay explores the historical emergence and socioeconomic implications of planned obsolescence, specifically examining how the advertising industry perpetuates consumer demand and influences the construction of the "promotional self."
- The historical development of consumer culture and its link to industrial mass production.
- Methodological approaches to decoding advertisements, including semiotics and discourse analysis.
- Strategic use of advertising to create "false needs" and convince consumers of product indispensability.
- The intersection of modernity, technology, and the constant urge for updated commodities.
- The psychological impact of consumer culture on individual identity and self-perception.
Excerpt from the Book
Advertisements praise the New to be better than the Old
Slater expounds the inextricableness of consumer culture and modernity. He states that consumer culture is bound up with the idea of modernity, of modern experience and of modern social subjects (Slater, 1997: p. 9) and creates a desire for ‘the new’ (Slater, 1997: p. 19). Computer business is an industry that had to deal with obsolescence from the beginning on. Technical improvements lead to faster and more powerful machines, which need new software all the time. Updates and upgrades of software promise higher output and better performance. Microsoft released an ad for the upgrade of their Windows software in Byte magazine in September 1990 (Ad 2). The ad looks a bit odd from nowadays point of view, because the technology looks very old. It shows comparatively much text, though the pictures take up more than half of the ad. The text tries to convince the consumer of the improvements he/she will experience by updating their operating system, although it offers no statement about the improvements in particular. The sentence “Which will make look you great” suggests, that it is not so much a logical decision to upgrade the software, but it is more a matter of representation of the self, of style and up-to-dateness.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Provides an overview of planned obsolescence in industrial societies and sets the scope for analyzing its impact on consumer culture.
Consumer Culture: Discusses the historical transition to industrial production and the emergence of consumerism as a defining social force.
How to analyze Ads: Introduces semiological and analytical frameworks used to decode the messages behind advertisements.
Consequences of planned Obsolescence: Examines specific advertising tactics used to foster constant demand and manage the lifecycle of products.
Conclusion: Synthesizes the link between modernity and advertising, noting the potential for a loss of self through constant material consumption.
Keywords
Planned obsolescence, Consumer culture, Advertising, Mass consumption, Semiotics, Promotional self, Industrial production, Modernity, Commodity, Discourse analysis, Brand identity, Consumer behavior, Materialism, False needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this academic work?
The work investigates the phenomenon of planned obsolescence and its role in shaping modern consumer behavior and the psychological concept of the "promotional self."
What are the primary themes explored in the text?
Key themes include the history of consumerism, the influence of mass marketing on identity, the socio-economic function of advertising, and how technical obsolescence is communicated through visual media.
What is the main objective or research question of the author?
The essay aims to identify how planned obsolescence emerged historically and to evaluate its ongoing consequences for consumer culture and personal identity.
Which scientific methods does the author utilize?
The analysis primarily utilizes semiology (semiotics) to decode the denotative and connotative levels of selected print advertisements, alongside qualitative analysis of relevant sociological literature.
What topics are covered in the main body?
The body covers the historical development of consumer society, semiotic methods for ad analysis, and specific case studies of how advertisements create artificial needs and manage the perceived value of products.
Which keywords characterize the essence of this study?
Key concepts include planned obsolescence, consumer culture, advertising, semiotics, and the promotional self.
How does the author define the relationship between the product and the consumer?
The author argues that products often lack inherent value, and advertising acts as the mechanism that assigns symbolic meaning to them, effectively turning the consumer into a participant in an endless cycle of consumption.
What role does the "promotional self" play in the analysis?
The "promotional self" refers to the way individuals increasingly use consumer goods and modern trends to construct and represent their own identity, style, and status, rather than making purely logical purchasing decisions.
How does the author view the link between technology and advertising?
The author illustrates that technology industries use the constant cycle of updates and upgrades not just for functional improvements, but to maintain a state of "modernity" that keeps consumers perpetually dissatisfied with their existing possessions.
- Quote paper
- Christoph Behrends (Author), 2004, Consequences of planned obsolescence for consumer culture and the promotional self, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/82675
