One of the main themes that seemed to come across during our discussion and research in this session was the idea of advertising, somewhat falsely, promising a happier life through consumerism. Prompting the question of whether all this material wealth is in fact making people happier or rather the inverse?
"Publicity is never a celebration of a pleasure-in-itself. Publicity is always about the future buyer. It offers him an image of himself made glamorous by the product or opportunity it is trying to sell. The image then makes him envious of himself as he might be. Yet what makes this self-which-he-might-be enviable? The envy of other. Publicity is about social relations, not objects. Its promise is not of pleasure, but of happiness: happiness as judged from the outside by others. The happiness of being envied is glamour."
- John Berger, Ways of Seeing
This quote from Berger explores the 'happiness' provided from succumbing to consumerism. He states that envy plays a large part in fuelling this culture of buying and spending. Envy of others and what could be. From talking to peers in the studio we began to question the idea of pleasure that we are faced with in advertising. It seems to be more of an illusion than an achievable thing. The fact that it isn't achievable helps to fuel consumerism.
In conclusion to the topic question, I believe the role of creative practice - advertising in particular - in shaping identity is that it creates an unachievable identity. An identity that is manufactured purely for the sake of attracting customers money.
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