OUGD401 - Consumerism - Lecture

Edward Bernard

Consumerism was a new invention starting in 1920s in america in order to keep us docile, happy and controlled. This consisted of Persuasion, Society, Brand and Culture. It was the neurologist, Sigmund Freud who first explored the idea of the human unconsciousness and who delve into the idea that all humans suppress our primal instincts. Edward Bernard, his nephew, predicted that our society would erupt in some way after this suppression of our animalistic instincts deep into our unconscious, this is his way of predicting the start of World War I. If modern propaganda is linked to our human desires, success, independence, sexuality then people will aspire for it. For example, product placement and celebrity endorsements will make the viewer desire to become the celebrity.

Sigmund Freud

Fordism was established 1863 - 1947 which made it possible for more things to be produced so more wages can be payed however, an idea of over production is born throughout this. This is the theory that once someone is able to buy all of these products, very quickly people will have all of the products and not need any more. Once they have a car, they will not need another. This idea of a brand and an identity is born in order to persuade you to buy their product instead of a rivals.

In 1909, the advertisements start to sway away from the actual product and are instead advertised as what the product can do for you. This again relates to our instincts as if the product can make you more powerful or sexual and advertised in this way to meet our human desires. From this birth of consumerism we get a shift from a need culture to a desire culture. Brands use psychological techniques to give us the idea to desire things irrationally because of our human instinctive needs. They sell such things as the reassurance of worth where the product is shown to give you a gratification of importance. They also sell the idea of love and desirability to the opposite sex seen mainly with perfume and underwear advertisements.

This system of capitalism crashes after constantly buying and making profit on profit.  This caused the great depression where people were laid off from work, jobless and wages cut. Roosevelt came up with the idea of the 'New Deal' which was the way of taxing businesses to give people benefits. To counteract this, businesses advertised that their products would meet the needs for people in the future. 'Our product will help your anxiety', 'our robot will do all of your chores'. This advertisement technique gives us the illusion that we are happy because we have the ability to buy a slightly better brand of shoes.