The digital age nowadays holds billions of billions of data. Days, where Artificial Intelligence is paving its way in replacing humans as primary labor and the overall sense of proletarianism, was being replaced by Autobots making working humans obsolete. As the days progressed, as these technologies are getting better and better, the power of capitalism keeps kicking the sense of an ordinary working man that they still don’t have it all, that working very hard is the only key to success. And of course, these lying scumbags are getting festive every time an increase in the stock exchange and overall sales reflects in their hundreds of bank accounts. Despite all the advancements in technology, why people are still blindfolded in these situations? Are there any relations between advanced capitalism and false consciousness?
Every year, companies keep releasing new material. Tech companies, for example, every year they release new phones, laptops, computers, processors, OS, by the use of modern marketing techniques. They are engaging people to buy new products or upgrade their old gadgets to their newly released ones. But, how do they keep people buying their new stuff? It’s simple. If they release a new device, the old ones must die. They will slowly kill the old devices meaning, old devices will not get the perks just like the new ones, then the devices will start to show a lot of internal problems like slowing down, lags, and battery problems. Witty right? Just pure capitalism. As if it is our duty to be connected to the internet as if we have to have these devices upgraded and be buried in debt.
Every season, these clothing lines keep on releasing new sets of clothes, if you don’t buy them, you aren’t on trend nor you are not “in”. And this will create pressure not only to yourself and to your ego but also will create pressure into your bank accounts.
But what are the associations of advanced capitalism and false consciousness?
In one statement released by Life Squared UK, “Consumerism is one of the strongest forces affecting our lives in the modern world. The term ‘consumerism’ does not simply refer to immediate factors in our daily lives such as the omnipresence of advertising, but anything connected to the overarching idea in our modern society that to be happier, better and more successful people we have to have more stuff. ” This statement itself holds a lot of truth to it, that people nowadays are starting to live withholding the idea that they have to fit in modern society’s standards. And this is sad, for those people who kept on living their lives where every day is a struggle for them to see these high standards and crushing their confidence. This idea of false consciousness needs to be eradicated, you are your definition of worthy, you are a blessing.
According to Investopedia, “Consumerism is the idea that increasing consumption of goods and services purchased in the market is always a desirable goal and that a person’s wellbeing and happiness depend fundamentally on obtaining consumer goods and material possessions. In an economic sense, it is related to the predominantly Keynesian idea that consumer spending is the key driver of the economy and that encouraging consumers to spend is a major policy goal. From this point of view, consumerism is a positive phenomenon that fuels economic growth.” In this statement, stated the positive side of consumerism. Wherein it helps to boost the economy of a country, helping it to build infrastructures and highways that will lead to more jobs to people and create a functional community and create schools for children.
According to Encyclopedia Brittanica, “False consciousness denotes people’s inability to recognize inequality, oppression, and exploitation in a capitalist society because of the prevalence within it of views that naturalize and legitimize the existence of social classes.” In other words, false consciousness serves as a blindfold to commonalities on what is happening in the reality of the world we are currently living in and kept their legs and hands in chains and be a slave from the people who kept on stealing what is certainly theirs from the very beginning.
According to Wikipedia, “In political philosophy, particularly Frankfurt School critical theory, advanced capitalism is the situation that pertains in a society in which the capitalist model has been integrated and developed deeply and extensively and for a prolonged period.” So basically, advanced capitalism is the wit of the efflorescence of false consciousness and created rabid consumerism. Wherein, masses are mentally being held captivated by capitalists into believing that to be in a class where you are accepted you have to have these qualifications and material possessions that possess the ideology of how a man should live their life.
How advanced capitalism works to gain false consciousness?
Social media. As the digital age is fast approaching, the growth of the users of these social media accelerates faster than the growing population. Social media serves as a distraction to the masses that leads to scarcity of one’s knowledge in realizing one’s reality. As social media is the fruit of advanced capitalism by brainwashing the commonalities and further eradicate the philosophy of an individual to revolt. Conjoining pop culture to its content is unstoppable. By keeping masses onto trends and fads, leads to an added situation of rabid consumerism.
Entertainment. Another type of distraction, where masses are being controlled, emotionally. Where a single video, movie, or music can change an individual’s mood entirely. Where people desired to live the life of the characters, where people want to dress up as their favorite protagonists and experience enjoyment through the pleasure of the different senses. Collaborating these concepts and forcing it to the mind of the masses, making them feel less accepted in society where everyone must be someone to feel the sense of belongingness. Making each question not only their mental stability but also their physical appearance forcing themselves to modify their appearances.
Pop culture. Hot issues surrounding a celebrity feels more like a trending topic rather than a burning hectares of forest. These situations, as a result of advanced capitalism and false consciousness, become more rampant nowadays. Manipulating the thoughts of an individual on how to see things in a perspective where capitalists are the ones will be benefiting. And using this to seed into the minds of the people to keep up with trends and fads.
Music. Ignorance’s bliss, the harmonious, melodic notes, makes you forget the world you’re living in, embarking a journey where there’s only you, and the music you’re listening to be as one. An abstraction towards what was happening in the reality of our surroundings and to the enslavement of humanity. Changing one’s attention that grabs melodies and tunes than hearing the struggles of commonalities fighting of making the world a better place and making a future that will be the home for the next generations.
How can we further eradicate the ideology of rabid consumerism?
Rabid consumerism doesn’t also affect the mentality of an individual it also affects the environment we’re living in the atmosphere, our ecosystem. With the rapid growth of consumers, the demands in raw materials and resources are growing as well. Leading to several activities involving the destruction of even the own human shelter itself, the earth. Rabid consumer is hard to exterminate, what we can do is to fight false consciousness. Making these distractions to work in our benefits is the least we can do to be aware of our surroundings and be knowledgeable, and to stand for what is ethically right. And to remember that this fight is not just for us, but to reclaim the future that was once was ours.
Lao Tzu once said, “Because one believes in oneself, one doesn’t try to convince others. Because one is content with oneself, one doesn’t need others’ approval. Because one accepts oneself, the whole world accepts him or her.” In further eradicating rabid consumerism we have to start within ourselves and change happens from within, and let these changes ripple and let show the world what humanity truly is.
We are so distracted by everything that surrounded us, the innovations, the technologies, the lies, and even the music. We are so distracted that we are not aware of what is truly happening to our world and how capitalists ruin the environment and enslave people. Not be afraid to stand for the truth and be vocal about what you have observed and not be afraid to criticize. In that way, we get to be truly heard. In the end, the only reality we are going to face is the life we chose to live with, whether you like what is happening to your life or not, it’s all about the choices you’ve made and those choices are irreversible. Facing these problems head high, completely armored and full ammunition to the battle of life, then you can only change your fate.
Efflorescence's Wit 