Feels like Déjà vu

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Well, for the older generations it’s déjà vu. The teenagers and young adults today never watched 90210, V and Hawaii Five-O. Of course, I am talking about the original versions of these television shows which aired in the late 20th Century. It seems to audiences that Hollywood has lost it- or has it? After all, the media corporations are in the money making business, and what better way to make money than to retell old and highly successful classics? With the exception of Melrose Place which miserably failed due to the bad acting and Bionic Woman which only lasted a season. However, in Bionic Woman’s defense, the writers' strike was going on at the time and caused the series to go on a short hiatus.

As well as rehashing old classics, Hollywood is bringing in successful UK based television shows such as The Office, American Idol (known as Pop Idol in the UK), Skins and many more. As previously stated, Hollywood has not lost “it”. Media firms need to minimize risk. To make money, they have to go with what they know and adhere to the rules of the game. There are multiple ways to minimize risk, like using well known actors and following genre conventions.

As you probably guessed already, another method which is becoming somewhat of a trend is the remaking of old hits and the adoption of successful television shows from abroad. Basically, remaking pop culture hits- popular culture here is defined as culture that is well liked and which is demonstrated through measurable commercial success.

In the case of bringing back the old classics, the target audience is not only the young generation such as the teenagers and young adults, but also the older ones. This is because they have already watched the original versions of the shows and are curious to know how the new ones are. Some of the new versions even feature story lines from the old version to make the audiences of the original versions keep watching.

Appealing to international audiences is another thing that the media companies want to do- this is part of the secondary market. When bringing in television shows from abroad, appealing to the international audience is not as hard anymore because the audiences abroad, from which the television show is originally based in, would simply watch the show out of sheer curiosity.

With the recreation of television shows, many elements have stayed the same- like the type of car the main character uses in Hawaii Five-O. However, things such as cell phones and laptops an other products, which perhaps were not used back then are being integrated into the shows to promote products (product placement) and this is producing a materialistic culture in the United States and it is promoting consumerism.

The recreation of television shows is sociologically intriguing because the cultures twenty, thirty or forty years ago and those abroad are significantly different to those currently in the United States. It would be interesting to study the different audiences and see how one television show affects different kinds of audiences and cultures.

Early Adopters: Geeky or Savvy?

My earlier blog about consumerism and materialism reflects the effect of the culture industry in designing products that make us consume more and more, transforming us into mindless consumers of popular culture and cultural products produced by culture industries...



However there is another dimension of consumerism that I would like to explore further. I know a special kind of consumer, the person you usually find first in line to purchase the new phone, the new ipod, the new laptop, the new “gadget” and the latest technology or model of whatever it is the culture industry is selling us.
Meg is a Texas student in the petroleum engineering major. He is also what Grazian refers to as an “early adopter”, an early consumer of a given company product or technology. As far as early adopters are concerned, he is definitely a record breaker. I’ve known him for 3 years, and whenever I buy something new, he always has something newer. He always makes what I own look out of date. My phone is always at least three generations behind his, and my other entertainment gadgets like my ipod are definitely not the “best” option according to him.



If you aren’t an early adopter, I’m sure you know one. Yes I’m talking about the person who can’t wait to show you their new special edition ipod, their new laptop with new features, their new camera, and their new high-tech gadget that can do something so cool – way cooler than what you already own. If the new products are not yet available in stores for you to line up in a cue, he would be the first to purchase it online before it is available for sale locally.



Early adopters are not just geeky consumers as many may think. Their influence on brand success, and impact on society and the consumerist culture can be significant. Potential consumers often seek early adopters’ advice, as they are way ahead in terms of expertise and knowledge on the particular product or innovation. Early adopters would have had more time being acquainted with the product than potential adopters and so would have acquired better understanding of its functions, uses and features. It is then likely that I ask my friend Meg whether I should purchase a certain piece of technology or gadget. Knowing that he would already have that particular item or replaced it about three times he would be a good source for advice and information. Even though I might look up a lot of reviews and information online, the “word-of-mouth” aspect of the interaction theory could be more effective in terms of convincing me to buy a given product. As this analysis on early adopters states, early adopters may “serve as a role model for many other members of a social system”. Early adopters then become somewhat respected by their peers and exemplify a way of using and purchasing products introduced by companies.



When I ask Meg for advice on a given gadget or piece of technology, his role is then to lower my uncertainty of purchasing it and to provide me with a vicarious hands-on experience through his own. His experience may not always be the best. Early adopters can face downfalls, but these negative experiences can serve the benefit of others.



Meg is not an online review or brochure, but someone who is not just trying to sell me a product. Hence, it is only natural that his peers and myself look to him for advice on new products. The effect a “Meg” would bring on any given society is more or less equal. We look to these early adopters for hopes of a successful purchase. It is always rewarding when you invest in something that proves to be suitable and worthwhile. So can early adopters transform us into savvy consumers?

Waste Not Want... More?

It is not surprising that I no longer have room in my closets, drawers, and other wardrobe space. I have the constant urge to shop, always desiring new, trendy “latest season’s” fashions. My room is cluttered with a superfluous collection of clothes, accessories, shoes, bags and other newly purchased items that still have their tags on. I am consistently buying new items of clothing, despite the complete and utter absence of necessity. As the photos suggest, I am indeed subject to a social order known as consumerism.



Looking at consumerism through a sociological lens, Grazian mentions that consumerism creates a cultural hegemony that is part of popular culture as a process of social control. Media and culture industries combined, foster these systematic false needs in consumers for them to want to buy new goods and in larger amounts.

While Grazian mentions the average adult in America buys 48 pieces of clothing items a year, the numbers may be even higher in this society.
Some people here go shopping every weekend, may be even everyday. Do we need to shop that often? And do we really need the items we purchase?
Why do ladies anticipate the latest fashions, trendiest looks, and ‘hot’ off the runway apparel? Who created this constant feeling of enthusiasm and rejuvenating excitement for these cultural products? Why do sales and promotions “easily represent what feels like a missed opportunity for fulfillment” and why does every purchase bring “with it a kind of relief however ephemeral”, (Grazian, p.61).



Grazian points out, it may have a lot to do with the culture industries that mass produce them, as well as the mass media in general that advertises these products.
An eye-opening project called “The Story of Stuff” offers an extensive critical study on the consumerist American society, and the effects of consumerism on the environment and its impact on society as a whole.
We’ve all heard the phrases “Must-haves” and “Must buys” and “Must” whatever it is to make us buy something. Are any of these deemed “Must purchases” really essential?
Well, even if they aren’t, we’re buying them!
According to the video below, in the U.S people are subjected to around 3,000 advertisements a day, which is compared to 50 years ago, more than people in America saw in a lifetime.





So what are the mass media and Ads really doing?
They’re basically telling us our hair’s wrong, our clothes are ugly, our skin is blotchy, our phone’s useless and our lifestyles need makeovers. They make us unsatisfied with ourselves. Then after feeling dissatisfied, we move to these products in order to fill that emptiness, that bubble of dissatisfaction that is created. This is what Grazian calls a “capitalist industry with exploitive motives”. We’re all part of one massive business. It’s all about making money ladies and gentlemen. Not satisfying real needs like creativity, happiness and freedom.
Mass media and mass marketing is the key. Generally people want to identify with a group and marketing sells lifestyle choices. They use the same tactics as religion. If you don’t do A, you won’t get B. Most people don’t have the courage to be unique. Cleverly, the people that market mass-produced “cultural products”, clothing and accessories etc. entice people by telling them if you wear this item it will set you apart and they will gain status when really the consumer pays to be a walking billboard.
It’s obvious if you look around that the clothing presents a sort of false ideal because most people wear things that aren’t necessarily flattering to their figures. You cannot look like Angelina Jolie by wearing the same clothes. Now the consumer goes a step further into body modification - and mass media then advertises plastic surgery.



So they tell you to get your plastic card, and buy more plastic stuff to set yourself apart. Stuff mass-produced, manufactured in third-world nations for a rate of a dime-a-dozen.
But the crafty schemes of culture industries, are not entirely dominating the masses. Even though my closets are crammed (maybe not to such an extreme) a light always shines when cultural innovation, and creativity, and real art does emerge despite the manipulative strategies of culture industries producing what we call “popular culture”.