Blog #5 - Commodity Self

I agree with Ewen that we construct our identities partly through our consumer products that inhabit our lives. The answer is an easy one to respond to because the idea of commodity self affects our identities in part, not the whole. 

The basic justification for advertisements affecting our identities is pretty similar to the way a parent influences a child. If a parent rears a child in a positive or negative light, then it will directly correlate to the way the child acts in his or her own life. In the same way, advertisements that are viewed and acted upon through a person's life will without a doubt have some affect on that person's life and identity.

However, there can be a huge difference between the way advertising affects a person's identity and the way a parent affects a child's identity. Since the parent is much more involved in the child's life, the actions of the parent will have a much bigger effect on the child's identity. Advertisements - however - have more of a minor, subliminal role in life, so they will have less of a role in terms of changing an identity. As a result, the "commodity self" will affect certain individuals on different levels.

Another fact to recognize is the fact that in today's world most people recognize the "artificial fakeness" of the advertising world and the world of Hollywood that often has a direct influence on it. The people who recognize this "artificial fakeness" are more likely to not let advertisements affect their identity. However, the people who act more in line with the world of Hollywood might be affected more by the "commodity self."