Study Task 04 - Summarising and Paraphrasing

In Miles, S. (1998) Consumerism: As a way of life. New York: Sage, Miles discusses the effects of design on the industry and how it forms the bases of the consumer self.

The idea of planned obsolescence and a divisive social structure are formed by design. 
 Products are designed with limited life spans in order to ensure a constant stream of demand. As Miles describes 'Compulsory obsolescence is the foundation-stone of the modern design industry and involves the intentional design of products for short-term use.' In order to create this constant stream, products are designed superficially to attract buyers without there being any substantial increase in benefits. As Miles describes 'Consumers are encouraged to become members of a consumer society by purchasing goods primarily through the attraction of superficial differentiation's in design'. This can arguably be seen through Apple's annual release of the iPhone. There are constant debates pertaining to whether there is a substantial increase in technological advancement with each release and whether each release is worth the 'upgrade'. And with each release, the demand for the iPhone increases. This point relates to the effects of consumerism has on society as Miles discusses. He writes 'well-designed goods are actually socially divisive, and that design is actually symbolic of the socially divisive nature of consumption in general'. People buy higher quality goods such as the iPhone to elevate them in the social class. They want to be seen as someone who can afford such wealth and to reflect the image of the brand. However as Miles points of Fiske's point, 'The paradox is that the desire to be oneself encourages consumers to purchase and wear the same products as everybody else.' Thus what is important about consumer goods is not the design itself but the perception of that design. Hence one of the reasons behind the increasing sales of the iPhone is what is perceived through the design of the subsequent iPhone that consumers see as 'revolutionary'. 

The superficial differentiation in consumer based product design has lead to creating a a false identity and a culture within itself. Not only are consumers buying well designed products, but they are buying into their lifestyle. This can be seen in Paul du Gay et al's (1977:66)  point on the Sony Walkman, 'Sony began to customize the product, targeting different sorts of Walkman at different consumer markets or niches.' Thus by customizing the Walkman, Sony saw the benefit of aiming their product at peoples lifestyles. This practice can also be seen in advertisements. One product Fiske (1989) uses as an example are jeans, namely Levi's. He uses the imagery in an advertisement for Levi's where 'three young people in a run down city street who are sharing the hard-living lives they have been born into'. He uses this advert to comment on the '...idea that whatever your station in life, the opportunities provided by capitalism, ... , mean that anything is possible' (Fiske, 1989; 5-6). Therefore 'consumer capitalism' is a product of companies using their advertising and marketing to sell the product on the basis of superficial design differences. Thus there s an emerging culture where fashion and product designers can '...command a significant degree of cultural capital...' despite whether the people can afford it. This culture dictates how the consumer wants to see themselves as through the purchasing of specific goods aimed at their subscribed lifestyle. However this notion of having an identity through consumerism is a paradox as explained earlier. People create this false identity though purchasing the same goods as everyone else.