Author Archives: gusmerwin

Commodity Fetishism

Posted on by

Commodity fetishism was introduced by the communist Karl Marx. It is the idea of material products taking on a sense of mystification. When people create and attach associations with a material object so much so that its value lies in what it represents, rather than what its intended use is.

 Commodity fetishism is a concept as alive and adaptive as the people it describes. It is more prevalent now than at any other time in history, and for good reason. The world is richer and more prosperous now than at any other time in history. As America has moved from an industrial society to a consumer society, the population as a whole has more money and more buying power.

Not only are we a wealthier society, but buying has also become an ingrained social aspect. To put it simply, people want to buy things. Whether they need the things or not, people buy material possessions because they are signs of personal wealth and prosperity, because that is the association that we have attached to things.

This trend started in the United States after the turn of the century, during the Roaring 20s. In post-war America, men were returning home, settling down, starting families, and getting jobs. With that transition comes the act of purchasing things; a house, a car, a plot of land to call their own. Soon kids come and you’re forced to continue buying things.

The same can be seen in post-World War II America. The birth of suburbia during the housing boom is one of the greatest examples of commodity fetishism. People were paying thousands of dollars to live in a neighborhood were everyone’s house looks and is laid out exactly the same. Obviously it provided them with a roof over their heads, but what else did it provide? Their new house gave them a shot at the American dream. They could start a family, find a good job, and make a comfortable life for themselves. They could get things that their parents never had, or could have.

That is what I believe one of the underlying principles of commodity fetishism to be. From childhood on, many parents stress the importance of providing a life, possessions, and experiences for their children that they didn’t have. It seems only natural that that goal would lead the new generation to pursue new things, material and otherwise.

But as each generation has new and better things growing up, the subsequent one will naturally aim for something better. And in our time that also means something more expensive. So in this sense, commodity fetishism isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but rather a condition and product of how we’ve evolved as a society.

Another positive outcome of commodity fetishism is a sense of nostalgia or personal connection that we forge with a product or item. The show Mad Men, a fictional look at the highly profitable American ad industry of the 60s, is a great example of this.

Don Draper, the show’s main character, has virtually complete creative control of the accounts they are charged with creating advertisements for. Draper and those who work under him are constantly tasked with creating a tagline or slogan that will speak to the consumer and make them pick up this product.

One of the most effective ways they do this is by playing on the consumer’s emotions. Make them remember the simple and happy days of their youth, the passion of their first love, or the joy they felt at the arrival of their first child.

When this aspect of commodity fetishism is looked at, we see consumerism at this level as an acceptable thing. This way people are not falling in love with boats, cars, and houses; things we typically associate with material wealth. People can become attached to things as simple as a blender or sweetened and condensed milk.

However, commodity fetishism can be interpreted a different way.

North Face, Apple, Nike, Range Rover. All popular name brands that are highly sought after by consumers, and all equally submerged in the main stream.

But what happens when these products go from being a popular and reliable brand, to the end all be all of products?

Apple is probably the greatest example. Recently they have released a new phone that’s only difference from the last is the new colors offered. But that did not stop the droves of dedicated Apple customers from flocking to stores to buy them.

Anytime Apple comes out with a new product, no matter what it is, how different or similar it is from the last model, or how much it costs, there will be a market for it. Fans of the company have placed it on a pedestal, going as far as sneering at people who do not have a Macbook or an iPhone.

Commodity fetishism has proven to have the potential to create jaded and elitist consumers.

This is not only a problem on a consumer to consumer level, but it affects business and industry in general.   

The more jaded and difficult to please people become, I believe businesses such as technology and entertainment will become gradually more difficult to succeed in. It will become a “what have you done for me lately?” business.

The problem with this, however, is I do believe people will continue to go to these movies and buy these new phones and tablets because it has become a norm.

There are also two more outcomes to commodity fetishism that I believe are both equally possible and can both be argued effectively.

As technology becomes more prevalent and integrated in society, we can either see a death of imagination, or a boom in creativity.

There are those who believe that today’s youth are lazy and less equipped to handle life because they live vicariously through their electronics. The great leaps made in technology have made people socially inept and the world will be full of people completely lack in interpersonal ability.

On the other hand there are people that argue that the rise in technology helps stimulate the creativity in people, and we’ll continue to make great strides in virtually every area.

Commodity fetishism is a concept that began as a critique of a wealthier society. But like everything else in the realm of pop culture, it has grown and evolved to fit the needs and the happenings of the time.

1,067 words