THE EFFECTS OF CONSUMPTION AND IDENTITY


We are what we consume: goes the concept. Ever since humans have discovered that life around them revolved and constituted of numerous facets and things, their lives have been intermingled with their surroundings. When we invented the wheel, our identities were changed forevermore. We went from basic forms of communication and travel to those more advanced. The invention of the wheel made us realize that we could have better and more educated lives by putting together a few tools in ways that we had never thought of before. We became the children of invention. Times changed, and the industrial revolution further solidified the idea that humans are a product of what they used and consumed.

When we talk about consumption and its dynamics, there is one finding that stands out. Advertising and Public Relations thrive on this simple knowledge: that humans use products that they identify with. Take a book, for example, in which the protagonist has been abused by his or her mother or father all through his or her life, yet they find the strength to move on and build their own life. A person who has gone through similar or exactly the same circumstances will identify with this character, and will thus be more inclined towards reading and liking the book than a person who has never encountered such situations.

Products have meanings. When we see a woman wearing an expensive pantsuit and driving a luxury car, we think that she is a powerful personality, with piles of money at her expense. Thus, the products she consumes—the pantsuit and the car—lend towards the formation of her identity. When looked at the other way round, the woman might be trying to communicate her success through her power dressing and her car. Thus, people are very careful about the products they utilize, because they lend towards the establishment of their identities. That is, for example, the reason why men refrain from buying pink tinted things and using women’s beauty products—because they want to project a more masculine image.

However, the real question here is whether these practices lend towards a more satisfying and fuller life: products are just entities that evolve and change every day. Extending that logic, were humans to base their identities upon the things they use, they would never find a niche, since their habits and likings would change with each evolving scenario. There is nothing wrong with projecting an image through the products we use, as long as they do not change what we truly are, and make us into something that the society wants us to be.  



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