Soc. 118Media, Culture & Society

Chapter 9Scenes From A Mall:

Cultural Consumption and Style in Everyday Life

OVERVIEW The Centrality of Cultural Consumption

The Mall of America

The Triumph of Style in Everyday Life Video: TV Commercial for Target Video: The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

Landscapes of Cultural Consumption Urban Renaissance

The Staging of Cultural Commerce Disneyfication

Video: The Corporation – A Private Celebration

 The Hidden Costs of Cultural Consumption Emotional Labor

In-Class Exercise: Emotion Work in Everyday Life

When Style Conquers Substance

Cultural Consumption and Style in Everyday Life

The centrality of cultural consumption Recent shift in society

The Mall of America

Focus: Style in popular culture Landscapes of consumption

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The Triumph of Style in Everyday Life Elements of style and

design Home décor, clothing,

accessories, etc. Video clip: TV commercial for

Target

Postmodern consumption Proliferation of aesthetics

Communicate through senses• Sensations and reactions

Unprecedented opportunities to express personal style

Massive consumption Style everywhere

Video clip: The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

Design intensive everyday environments Businesses, corporations

Starbucks as "multisensory aesthetic experience”

Google offices encourage “creative play”

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Landscapes of Cultural Consumption Style in public places

Urban renaissance (1990s) Shifts in city life

• Esp. in former industrial centers

Urban entertainment districts Part of larger urban renewal

Attract global tourism

Total experience Selling unique, “authentic” locales

• Examples: Nashville, South Beach, New Orleans

High-concept, trendy, event destinations• Seen in media and advertising 5

The Staging of Cultural Commerce

Simulated environments Movie-making techniques

Staging, lighting, sound

Disneyfication Branding, chains, themed

entertainment• Restaurants, clubs• Hotels• Shopping malls, stores• Amusement parks

Example:• Video: “The Corporation: A

Private Celebration”

Artificial reality Better than the real thing? 6

The Science of Consumption Engineering shopping

Attract passersby Manage traffic flow

Using the senses See, hear, smell and taste,

touch

Appealing to buyer instincts Impulse buying

Items in the checkout line

Money, money The best price is free? The theory of relativity

Giving cash some credit Spending cash hurts more

Part of the herd Do others know more?

Shopping momentum Can be triggered by one item

Hunters and gatherers Gender differences

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The Hidden Costs of Cultural Consumption Worker exploitation

Workers reflect the brand The Commercialization of Feeling

Arlie Hochschild• Goffman’s “Presentation of Self” (Dramaturgy)

Emotional Labor Additional work to display feeling

• To please customers, clients• To benefit employers

Required in many service jobs• Examples• Who does this work?

Techniques• Sincere and cynical performances

Consequences• Manage boundaries of backstage, front stage• Stress, alienation, burnout

In-Class Exercise: Emotion Work in Everyday Life 9

When Style Conquers Substance Good looks as advantage in society

Studies show higher incomes for taller, better looking

“Looks sell” Example: Book authors

More obsession than ever before Online we lie about or manipulate

physical appearance What are consequences?

Best-looking people in human history Costs? Where is the real self? 10