Response to Billig’s (1999) Article
The article by Billig (1999) dwells on such significant aspects related to advertising and consumerism as commodity fetishism and repression. According to the author, the current fetishism of commodities takes its roots from the Freudian interpretation of this term, which implies that people are engaged in the “form of shared repression” (Billig, 1999, p. 313). In this relation, a critique of contemporary capitalism emerged and has been developed by economists and sociologists. The views reflected in the article will be analyzed from the point of view of Apple’s 2017 commercial “Apocalypse” (Shouts, 2017). The advertisement shows how dependent people have become on devices and applications and how forgetful they remain of the processes of production (Billig, 1999). Instead, users focus on the benefits provided by the product, which makes them rather surprised to find themselves in a world where applications no longer exist.
Consumers largely concentrate on the functions of goods purchased and opportunities that the latter allow. As Billig (1999) remarks, the primary goal of consumerism is the production of meaning. Meanwhile, both advertisers and users commonly overlook the very process of production, including the extraction of raw materials, transportation, and manual labor required to make a certain appliance or good. Hence, the problem of separating the notions of consumption and production in the process of analyzing them cannot be limited by fashion analytics or feminist activists (Billig, 1999). Users’ ‘forgetfulness’ or ‘repression’ is not a result of “a chance absent-mindedness” but, rather, serves as the ideologic state of mind reflecting capitalist conditions (Billig, 1999, p. 318). When an object is viewed as a commodity, there is hardly any problem with understanding its functions and seeing it as a trivial thing. However, when this commodity’s value comes into sight, the product starts being perceived in comparison with other ones.
In the advert “Apocalypse,” one can see how deeply repression and commodity fetishism have integrated into people’s lives. Users have got so accustomed to utilizing their iPhones to meet any needs they have that the absence of even one of them might cause serious problems. Meanwhile, the advert shows a much more drastic picture: all apps disappear from people’s devices at once (Shouts, 2017). People can no longer spend time with their friends because they used to find places to eat out and to contact their pals with the help of some apps. Drivers cannot find their route, although they have probably used the same one on a daily basis. Sportspeople cannot continue exercising because they have become so accustomed to apps counting their calories and kilometers. In fact, the advertisement “Apocalypse” not only promotes Apple’s products but also serves as a tool for self-irony. Indeed, what people nowadays need most is the “distortion of forgetting” (Billig, 1999, p. 315). Being unaware of what surrounds them and how to survive without applications is not a promising trend to pursue.
Response to Chrostowska’s (2010) Article
The second source under analysis dwells on the issue of nostalgia as related to consumerism. According to Chrostowska (2010), people consume goods either because they are curious or because they feel envious or bored. In relation to this argument, one might consider nostalgia as consumption from the “naïve point of view of cultural sustainability” (Chrostowska, 2010, p. 53). Purchasing and using goods may be triggered not only by the need to have a modern device or use innovative features. For some users, becoming estranged from their memories losing the ability to comprehend things (Chrostowska, 2010). The analysis of this issue will be performed on the basis of Apple’s 2013 Christmas commercial (Bar-kus, 2013). This advertisement shows both the present achievements of the company in the direction of enhancing digital entertainment and the connection with the past.
It would be wrong to consider Apple’s products as those with a nostalgic meaning. As Chrostowska (2010) notes, nostalgia has turned into “a reactionary vice and risked obsolescence” (p. 52). Meanwhile, Apple’s products are aimed at looking toward the future and offering the users the most high-quality services and opportunities. However, a connection can be drawn between these two seemingly incompatible aspects. With the help of Apple’s devices, one can capture present moments and create memories that will be cherished by future generations. The commercial presents a family gathering at Christmas time, with one boy being constantly busy with his iPhone (Bar-kus, 2013). Everyone is irritated by the boy’s habit of using his iPhone instead of communicating with the family members he has not seen for a long time. However, there is a great hidden nostalgic meaning behind the boy’s actions: with the help of the newest Apple’s product on the market, he is compiling material to make a beautiful and touching family movie capturing the magical moments of their favorite holiday.
One must admit that the attitudes toward products’ nostalgic mission are rather arguable. Chrostowska (2010) claims that nostalgic fulfillment is “by design provisional,” whereas “addiction behind the addiction” is much more desirable (p. 52). However, as can be inferred from Apple’s commercial, nostalgic fulfillment does not necessarily have to be linked to the product’s features. Rather, the connection is traced in the features of a product enabling people to feel nostalgic but simultaneously remain up-to-date and not experience any complications in accessing the most recent and useful options (Bar-kus, 2013). Hence, Apple’s advertisement has nothing to do with the “channels of symbolic economy,” represented by Chrostowska (2010) as the drivers of nostalgia’s reproduction (p. 53). Instead, the commercial combines the past with the future at present and demonstrates that despite innovation and development, products can be utilized to connect users with the past.
Response to Williams’s (2000) Article
An interesting point of view on advertising is comparing it with magic and entitling it to the status of miracle-worker. Williams (2000) offers such an insight in his article, and the ideas expressed in it are worth considering and analyzing. Instead of viewing commercials as the means of spreading information about products’ features, Williams (2000) considers them as the way of transforming commodities into signifiers of glamour and comfort. Although the article was written before Apple was even created, many notions discussed by the author can be applied to the analysis of the brand’s commercial of Apple iPhone Siri (TheiPodSpot, 2012). As Williams (2000) notes, the cultural pattern formed in society presupposes that objects are not sufficient by themselves but should be “validated” with specific personal and social meanings (p. 335). The patterns of such meanings are different in various cultures, and what is typical of one culture may possess “magic” in another one (Williams, 2000. p. 335). Although the progress of science and technology has gained unprecedented heights, there is always space for enchanting features of devices and goods consumed by people.
The advert under consideration depicts a number of options offered by the new product released by Apple. A famous actor, John Malkovich, is starring in the commercial, but he does not look the most important character of the episode. Instead, Siri, Apple’s innovative virtual assistant, takes away the attention of the audience from Malkovich (TheiPodSpot, 2012). The atmosphere is purely magical: the man is sitting comfortably in his chair, drinking coffee, and deciding on important plans without having to leave his office or even making some phone calls. Williams (2000) remarks that advertising has become the principal part of a “capitalist business organization” (p. 334). Apple’s commercial justifies this statement, serving as a convincing means of demonstrating how modern business people can manage multiple tasks without having to hire more staff or to spend more hours working overtime.
Another aspect of the selected commercial is its indirect effect on consumers, which can also be referred to as magical. Williams (2000) argues that the “mention” of a product is much better than advertising its features directly by saying what useful options it offers (p. 333). According to the author, “the real thing” is what passes as “ordinary news” (Williams, 2000, p. 333). Hence, Apple’s commercial, which shows the man talking to Siri rather than describing its helpful features is rather successful (TheiPodSpot, 2012). The audience sees the abundance of options of the new virtual assistant without being constantly reminded of the conveniences offered by it. Unlike the customary TV ads or old-fashioned printed ones, this commercial bears the air of serenity and confidence, which enchants the viewers and indeed can be referred to as magical.
References
Bar-kus. (2013). Apple 2013 Christmas commercial: Misunderstood: (HD) (Apple) [Video]. YouTube. Web.
Billig, M. (1999). Commodity fetishism and repression: Reflections on Marx, Freud and the psychology of consumer capitalism. Theory & Psychology, 9(3), 313-329. Web.
Chrostowska, S. D. (2010). Consumed by nostalgia? SubStance, 39(2), 52-70. Web.
Shouts, T. Apple | Apocalypse WWDC 2017 [Video]. YouTube. Web.
TheiPodSpot. (2012). Apple iPhone Siri John Malkovich TV commercial [Video]. YouTube. Web.
Williams, R. (2000). Advertising: The magic system. Advertising & Society Review, 1(1), 320-336.