Many philosophers and sociologists of the twentieth century tried to define and describe the level of development reached by the most economically successful country.He was called and developed industrial and post-industrial society, believing that systemic restructuring of the economy and the creation of wealth will bring blessings to mankind.But the most critical and at the same time, a precise description of the company offered in 1970 by the French postmodernist philosopher, sociologist and cultural scientist Jean Baudrillard."Consumer Society" - since the term is firmly entrenched in our language, has turned into something like a shortcut.However, even with the 70-ies have enough time ironic critique of the intellectual has not lost any of its significance or its relevance.
At the time, this well-known neo-Marxist philosopher came out of the environment, and to some extent adopted an analytical and critical approach of living peculiar to Marx.We can say that his book is "consumer society" is a kind of "Capital" of the twentieth century, but it was written in a different paradigmate.The philosopher is not so much interested in the background of the economic and social relations, as the impact on the people and everyday life.After all, if in Marx's time the everyday lives of people dependent on the economy through the social relations, but now it has become dependent on technology, media and other mass regulators, which penetrate into our lives and govern it.Actually, this transformation and consumption of means of survival in the means of dehumanization and dedicates his book Baudrillard.
consumer society - is a characteristic of a new society where all human relationships lose their meaning, becoming a ritual scheme, marks the definition of hierarchical status, or degenerating into competition.This "brave new world" virtually destroyed the old, traditional consumption, when people buy any goods because they are they need, because they meet their needs.It analyzes completely different, "landmark" consumption when buying goods because it is fashionable, because it advertised because it is a novelty.Thus, the thing loses its meaning, ustarevaya before her purchase, because advertising immediately propose a new, more fashionable thing.
In addition, the consumer society deprives of meaning and communication between people, because it makes the process of buying a sham.Consumption becomes a code governing the communication, because people prefer to talk not only about the new purchases, and evaluate each other on the opportunity to buy this or that object.This kind of game is not based on any natural reality, but only on their own.Things lord it over the people on them is determined not only comfort and convenience, but also the prestige and involvement in this cycle declare freedom of choice and individual triumph.
consumer society not only to put man and his feeling at the mercy of things, and things has reduced to the level of characters that have no real meaning (simulacra), and it has turned art into a commodity item and simulacrum.The search for truth superseded the myths that are easy to consume, serious literature and art superseded entertainment genres.Manipulation of these genres became a power transmission belt mechanisms and their ideology.In fact, human culture is also put on the conveyor, it is produced from a template, it also depends on supply and demand.Mankind is accustomed to consume certain signs and stopped to take something original and truly personalized.
Philosopher criticizes consumer society also for the fact that it is only with the mind is a society of abundance and equality.This society and made them simulacra does not give a person is no certainty, on the contrary, all the time he is in the race for more and more new brands and trademarks, and is afraid that will not have time and will not be able to buy another prestigious simulacrum.The dominance of signs-simulacra leads to inequality, because people who are not able to acquire all the new signs of prestige, is thrown out of the circle of relationships, cultivating success as a loser.Despite the fact that this book was written several decades ago, it shows that Jean Baudrillard actually predicted the main trends in modern society.
