W3: Consuming Passions: modernity and the birth of consumer culture

This week we focused on art history to give us a better idea of where modern culture stems from.

With the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, modern society began. Society experienced a paradigm shift, where everything conceived before changes, e.g. discovering that the world is not the center of the universe. Among other areas this largely affected the population, as many moved from rural settlements and farming, where there was mass unemployment caused by its industrialisation, to urban locations because of the need for work. This had some pleasant side effects though, brought about by the shifting needs of the population, for instance parks for workers.

Being distanced from nature and the rules it enforces, e.g. working by seasons, changed how we as people related to the world and each other. We were suddenly given superiority over nature.

The mechanisation of production, which resulted in the standardisation of weights and measures, the creation of leisure time and the creation of 'designers', also resulted in the creation of Consumer Culture.

Inventions like the printing press revolutionised many aspects of society as the first free public library and newsagents were opened, literacy levels increased, the speed that information was spread increased alongside production and typographic design, but unemployment grew. Still, it meant the birth of advertising, the brand, the graphic designer and it lead to booms in packaging design, 'lifestyle' magazines and photography.

Industrialisation not only affected how production operated, but how people and social groups did as well. Caused by the diffusion of money, the middle classes gained more power as status came from wealth instead of land and titles. There was a separation of domestic and public domain as well as people had to leave home to work, with domestic life being judged as less important.While middle class men could demand more power and rights, middle class women still had few rights.

As money spread items were produced and bought to show the tastes and values of the consumer. Instead of them being valued by their 'use value' (Marx), they were judged on their 'symbolic value' (Jean Baudrillard) - their status rather than practicality. 'Conspicuous consumption' - social standing and 'conspicuous leisure' - holidays, became prevalent in the middle classes.

To deal with this new form of consumer, new spaces of consumption were introduced. Shopping arcades and department stores allowed safe shopping and browsing. To be seen shopping was the more important experience for some social classes. Similarly lobbies in theatres and cinemas allowed attendees to show off. With the creation of galleries and museums, the public could easily see the treasures of the country because there was free entry. However, this could be seen as another form of gloating as the galleries flaunted all of the country's treasures and culture for all to see.

In summary, modern society was born with the start of the industrial revolution and it's many advances. Consumer culture also came about, with the precedence of 'owning' rather than needing items. While this was facilitated even more with specialist spaces designed for consumerism and culture.