SUBJECTIVITY UNDER CONSUMERISM: THE TOTALIZATION OF THE SUBJECT AS A COMMODITY
Abstract This theoretical work discusses consumerism's processes of subjectivation and their psychological consequences. Its regime is studied through its social imaginary and its totalitarian character: the discourse of advertising, as a global hegemon, absorbs all forms of discourse and signi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | Spanish |
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Associação Brasileira de Psicologia Social
2016-08-01
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| Series: | Psicologia & Sociedade |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-71822016000200207&lng=en&tlng=en |
| _version_ | 1819174956246761472 |
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| author | Marlon Xavier |
| author_facet | Marlon Xavier |
| author_sort | Marlon Xavier |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract This theoretical work discusses consumerism's processes of subjectivation and their psychological consequences. Its regime is studied through its social imaginary and its totalitarian character: the discourse of advertising, as a global hegemon, absorbs all forms of discourse and signification, thereby actualizing capitalism's telos - the colonization of the Lebenswelt under a great imperative: everything must become a commodity, especially the subject. A process of totalization of subjectivity occurs under a commodification logic centered on the representation: every image must be transformed into commodity-signs. Thus the consumption imaginary appears as a totalizing ideology, functioning as archaic représentations collectives (Durkheim) and simulating a religious imaginary. It mass-produces subjectivity through participation mystique (Lévy-Bruhl) with its commodity-signs (and their fetish) and the whole imaginary. Its subject is defined as a bricolage of consumable commodity-signs, being therefore eternally fluid, performative, and ethereal. Thus it produces an anthropological mutation, the commodity-subject: a disposable, empty, thoroughly commodified self. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T20:47:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-762faf74b37548949ced398bdfd8a659 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1807-0310 |
| language | Spanish |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T20:47:12Z |
| publishDate | 2016-08-01 |
| publisher | Associação Brasileira de Psicologia Social |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Psicologia & Sociedade |
| spelling | doaj.art-762faf74b37548949ced398bdfd8a6592022-12-21T18:13:11ZspaAssociação Brasileira de Psicologia SocialPsicologia & Sociedade1807-03102016-08-0128220721610.1590/1807-03102016v28n2p207S0102-71822016000200207SUBJECTIVITY UNDER CONSUMERISM: THE TOTALIZATION OF THE SUBJECT AS A COMMODITYMarlon XavierAbstract This theoretical work discusses consumerism's processes of subjectivation and their psychological consequences. Its regime is studied through its social imaginary and its totalitarian character: the discourse of advertising, as a global hegemon, absorbs all forms of discourse and signification, thereby actualizing capitalism's telos - the colonization of the Lebenswelt under a great imperative: everything must become a commodity, especially the subject. A process of totalization of subjectivity occurs under a commodification logic centered on the representation: every image must be transformed into commodity-signs. Thus the consumption imaginary appears as a totalizing ideology, functioning as archaic représentations collectives (Durkheim) and simulating a religious imaginary. It mass-produces subjectivity through participation mystique (Lévy-Bruhl) with its commodity-signs (and their fetish) and the whole imaginary. Its subject is defined as a bricolage of consumable commodity-signs, being therefore eternally fluid, performative, and ethereal. Thus it produces an anthropological mutation, the commodity-subject: a disposable, empty, thoroughly commodified self.http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-71822016000200207&lng=en&tlng=ensubjetividadconsumoconsumismoimaginario socialmercantilización |
| spellingShingle | Marlon Xavier SUBJECTIVITY UNDER CONSUMERISM: THE TOTALIZATION OF THE SUBJECT AS A COMMODITY Psicologia & Sociedade subjetividad consumo consumismo imaginario social mercantilización |
| title | SUBJECTIVITY UNDER CONSUMERISM: THE TOTALIZATION OF THE SUBJECT AS A COMMODITY |
| title_full | SUBJECTIVITY UNDER CONSUMERISM: THE TOTALIZATION OF THE SUBJECT AS A COMMODITY |
| title_fullStr | SUBJECTIVITY UNDER CONSUMERISM: THE TOTALIZATION OF THE SUBJECT AS A COMMODITY |
| title_full_unstemmed | SUBJECTIVITY UNDER CONSUMERISM: THE TOTALIZATION OF THE SUBJECT AS A COMMODITY |
| title_short | SUBJECTIVITY UNDER CONSUMERISM: THE TOTALIZATION OF THE SUBJECT AS A COMMODITY |
| title_sort | subjectivity under consumerism the totalization of the subject as a commodity |
| topic | subjetividad consumo consumismo imaginario social mercantilización |
| url | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-71822016000200207&lng=en&tlng=en |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT marlonxavier subjectivityunderconsumerismthetotalizationofthesubjectasacommodity |