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This essay will show that contemporary consumers are faced with signs, images which represent consumption of lifestyles which have been commissioned by advertisers. When referring to signs in this context, the word can be regarded as facets of everyday lives which have been constructed from market research by people such as advertisers. Signs are what we inherently face in our lives as they individually effect us- how we perceive a depiction of a naked child or advertising for exclusive brands differs due to our sociological context's heterogeneity. Therefore the meaning of signs ultimately change within everyday social and cultural environments due to different, personal consumer circumstances. Consequently it is the differing impact on individuals, due to different contexts, that allows for sociological meaningfulness as consumerist acknowledgment of signs provides feedback regarding consumerist trends in our cultures.
Before analysis of how consumerist signs are sociologically meaningful, we need to understand what signs really are and what they represent. A definition can be seen through the work of Tony Thwaites. A sign is viewed as anything that produces meaning. Signs comments on the world whilst simultaneously existing as objects. They convey and produce meanings (Thwaites, Tools for Cultural Studies, an introduction, 14, 7). Once this is understood, it can be applied to consumer and pop culture as it contains many of its own signs which, once interpreted, provides meaning for sociologists.
There are many sides to contemporary culture that have been informed by and can be seen through a system of signs. Our world can be analysed by sociologists through examination of these signs and consequently they determine their social and cultural importance. Signs play a large part in the consumerist realm of society due to our unconscious ability to recognise them. No other form of images confront us so frequently (Berger, Ways of Seeing, 17, 1). Advertising, as visual images, due to their density, allow us to briefly absorb these messages whilst they simultaneously stimulate our imagination's (Berger, 17, 1). Therefore, Berger argues, that publicity and the importance of signs belongs to the moments. Publicity images belong to the moment, but simultaneously refer to the past due to the consumer market's history (Berger, 17, 1).
This is akin to Thwaites concept that within signs the content is an essential feature. A sign's content is meaningful due to their reference to something. Much of contemporary marketing is dependant on their reference to something, other element's of lifestyles, as it conveys information about the advertised product whilst allowing consumer's minds to associate with other social constructs (Thwaites, 14, 7-10). Without this reference to other facets of society, advertising would be captured in a cyclic self-referential spiralling demise. Berger states that 'publicity is in essence nostalgic', that its reference to signs of quality and craftsmanship are bound to the retrospective and the traditional- 'it would lack both confidence and credibility if it used strictly traditional language' (Berger, 17, 1). A sign's referential function is important for contemporary culture as advertisers invariably attempt to invoke a connection or relationship with their prospective audience through commonly recognised signs (Thwaites, 14, 10). Therefore the principal feature of the sign is their ability to seek to establish relationships; within consumer culture, this is the connection between the sign, the advert, and the consumer's wallet. It is this element that his been harnessed by advertisers publicise the images they are trying to promote. People will ultimately notice a particular image or feature of society or sign, which corresponds to their interests (Berger, 17, 10). Sociologists therefore need to recognise that different advertising by groups represent differing social and cultural circumstances which is ultimately passed on into the buyer-seller relationship.
The formulaic nature of signs is important for sociologists. The recognisable structure they follow allow for a reliable medium for sociologists to determine everyday social and cultural consumerist practices signs (Thwaites, 14, 7-). The modern signs of consumption allows a representation of subcultural groups to emerge to sociologists. Due to our repetitive exposure to consumerist signs we are very aware of what sort of texts we witness- almost certainly we realise this before we start due to their visible structure. Signs suggest ways in which they may be read as they cue certain codes for interpreting them signs (Thwaites, 14, 11). Signs establish a complex set of expectations which may thwart as much to satisfy the expectations of the consumer. This is meaningful as different cultural groups would consequently act differently to the predicability or unexpected sign elements.
Joanna Finkelstein demonstrates within "Slaves of Chic, an A- Z of consumer pleasures" that signs of our consumerist culture alter lifestyles and consequently they are sociologically meaningful society. Long term commercial decisions are made on our consumerist habits- our tastes no longer are from our making, rather have been formed through advertising workshops (Finkelstein, Slaves of Chic, an A- Z of consumer pleasures , 14, ix-xiii). It is evident that the consumer products are clearly signposts, signals of cultural and social circumstances which sociologists should be aware of. Finkelstein uses two separate, but similarly valid examples of the Filofax and the culture of exercise.
The Filofax has been marketed as a useful product to keep better records where immediacy of knowledge and control is a primal feature. What sociologists can witness is societies weakening of memory, the prevention of mental links and the taking for granted of habits and practices (Finkelstein, 14, x-xi). Sociologists can gain meaning from the fact that socially people have lost control, lost purpose for actions whilst subliminally, choices are no longer their's to control. Therefore the Filofax is a sign as it represents the endemic dependence of society on learned and acquired desires, pre-defined by advertisers.
Sociologists study cultural trends and the signs which inform and construct these trends. Consequently, an understanding of the base for the trends is needed. Finkelstein attributes the rise of exercise culture to the convergence of physical shapes of men and women, and a consequent sexual desire to differentiate between the homogeneity of body forms (Finkelstein, 14, 7-).
Finkelstein labels exercise as a sign to explain the use of lycra gym wear as an exaggeration of the sexualised gender which defines the gender distinctive body (Finkelstein, 14, 8-). Therefore, exercise culture is meaningful to sociologists as they can explain the newly cultivated sexuality of modern society. We must consider signs, such as exercise, meaningful, particularly to sociologists, as they represent a new culture within society which is concerned with public image (Finkelstein, 14, 10).
Madonna, a self made celebrity, reveals the importance of signs as she herself acts as one. When she as a singer-songwriter-actress-model is examined sociologically she gives meaning to issues of female empowerment in patriarchal industries whilst simultaneously providing meaning to the Madonna based culture that surrounds her (Tetzlaff, The Madonna Connection, 1, -56). What is important is how Madonna culture, has reduced her music to an irrelevancy. Fans and critics alike infrequently comment on music rather than on her image and lifestyle choices. Tetzlaff tries to provide meaning for this phenomenon of Madonna's public longevity (Tetzlaff, 1, 41). His argument boils down to her ability to 'retool herself and (her) screen persona' whilst leaving no consistent point for fan attachments (Tetzlaff, 1, 4-4). Madonna acts as a sign of individual power in a highly competitive market.
Tetzlaff, throughout his account of Madonna, supports the debate of John Fiske, that Madonna ultimately is a sign as she produces meaning for her fan base (Tetzlaff, 1, 4-45). The Madonna image provides her young female fans with semiotic tools to create a self understanding, thus breaking from patriarchal society. Therefore some of her personal autonomy ultimately is transferred to her fans. The themes of Madonna's life, whilst not vocalised in her films or music can be seen in a 'metatextual narrative' of her management of her own career, her quest for fame and independence from the patriarchy of America (Tetzlaff, 1, 48-56).
Therefore, signs are important for sociologists as their consumption in contemporary culture provides trends for studies. Different social and cultural groups interacting with said signs similarly provide information about consumerist trends for sociological studies.
References
Berger, J. 17 Ways of Seeing, Penguin, London. Chapter 7.
Finkelstein, J. 14 Slaves of Chic, an A- Z of consumer pleasures, Minerva. Kew. Introduction and Exercise.
Tetzlaff, D. 1 Metatextual Girl patriarchy. Postmodernism, power, money in C. Schwichtenberg (ed) The Madonna Connection, Allen and Unwin, Sydney.
Thwaites, T. Et al. 14 Tools for Cultural Studies, an introduction, Macmillian, Melbourne, Chapter 1 & .
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