Week 1: Introduction:
Concepts and Consequences
- Consumerism is a
social and economic order and ideology that encourages the acquisition of
goods and services in ever-greater amounts
- 'Sunk Cost - to be in over your head, already
used too much money
- 'CUSTODIAL CONSUMPTION' -
Don't blame individuals, blame the system
Week 2: Pleasure, Luxury and
Democracy by Design
- England eventually put aside
fighting for religion and became wealthy through monarchy with the Danish
- this birthed 'Aristocratic
Luxury
- old idea of luxury showed
positions of power
- new idea of luxury shows no
need for excess
- consumerism was a madness
- middle to upper class with
good self-control showed their luxuries in an orderly war
- high quality goods could
only be obtained by the rich or made by wealthy people who could afford
training to make
- poor could not afford to
learn to make good quality goods, therefore had bad copies
Week 3: Imitation in Design, Production
and Consumption
- Imitation from
other countries goods created local wealth
- the imitation created innovation as
the makers did not have the skills or resources/technology to
copy exactly
- 'combining imports
from abroad with native inventiveness
- imitation was
not seen as a negative thing but a thing of high skill
- imitation=
Interpreting, adaption, contextualizing, improving then eventually
production and even exporting back to the
original countries the idea come from
- industrial
revolution made the manufacturing process easier and changed the
industry
- imitation
created advancement in design, progress\
- imitation
in consumption comes back to people wanting what other
people have
Week 4: Ideology in Design,
Production and Consumption
·
Introduction of machines
took ‘romantic’ idea out of design
·
Lose skills, care and craftsmanship
·
Remedial design – get something
we didn’t know we needed
·
Becoming socialists
·
Morris – one of the
worlds most successful designers, INFLUENCIAL
·
Morris was a ‘hammer and
smith’ socialist based on the restoration to re-educate people about of ‘art
and craft’ – he looked after his workers with the ideology of ‘if they wanted
to work they would work well’
·
Tolkin influenced by
Morris
·
Design can change the
world
·
Unity if all art
·
Craft work is good work,
as opposed by factory work
·
Stewardship in possesionm
only to have good goods and what you need
·
Socialism isa having no
‘class’ system
·
Modernism era 1980 Alessi
– realised the value of limited edition craft/art pieces
·
Consumerism should be
based on needs but isn’t
·
If the designer is not
indepeneent then they end up being a designer for industry and end up producing
the same ‘shit’
·
‘The more you consume the
more you are consumed’
·
Blue collar work = works with
hands
·
White collar work = works with
mind
Week 5: Issues in Social and Technical Systems
·
Consumption – things we
cant live without vs things we have anyway
·
Systems force us no need things
·
Cars are useless without roads, we need roads
·
All roads, car parks, public space is only
gained through a car so you get a car to use thiese other things
·
SUNK COST EFFECTS – unrecoverable costs
·
Somebody selse problem
·
Monetary value isn’t actural value
·
Gruan Transfer (Victor Graun) = scripted
marketing
·
People buy more then they expected to buy and
spend more then intended
·
SYSTEMS BECOME NORMALISED
·
You need a car to go shopping but you can’t
shop in car
·
As ‘externalisation machines,’ corporations
have no legal requirement to consider social and environmental impacts of their
actions, only for the share holders
Week 6: Meaning and
Identity in Consumerism
·
Lifestyle consumption
·
Collectors and collections
·
Sentimental value
·
Heirloom
·
Value of things greater then monetary value
1.
Identity
Week 7: Competition and Comparison
in Consumption
·
Positional consumption (comparison) – look over your shoulder and think
mine is NOT better
·
Pre industrial – ranks of wealth was put on display ie, Royalty
·
18th century people wanted to show their social status by
their possessions
·
Usually came down to one’s clothing – this is the culture we have today
·
But now we all have everything
·
The upper-class have the luxury items
·
The middleclass get standardised – but this leads to increase in what
the standard is – constant aspiration to become upper-class and obtain the
‘luxury items’ – consumption
Week 8: Thinking about Nature in
Consumption
·
To do with nature – brought from science
·
Nature is distanced by technology
·
The more we learn about nature the more we realise that ‘animals are
more like humans’ – actually humans are more like animals.
·
America – recover nature – nature seen as damaged
·
Green washing – saying your ‘green’ using is as a marketing tool it’s a
con
Week 9: Social
and Technical Acceleration
·
A
convergence of social and technological changes leading to unprecedented
acceleration of social, economic and material life.
·
Technological
Acceleration + Acceleration of Social Change + Acceleration of ‘pace of life’
we experience – according to Rosa this is self-reinforcing system
·
Consumerism as ‘cultural engine’ of this
change – expanding and accelerating, aided by computer + internet; ‘internet of
things’; increasing mobility, instant communication
Week 11:
Values, Behaviour and Change
·
Berneys – Pioneer of PR
·
Manipulation of peoples values through campaigning
·
Advertising exploits ‘extrinsic’ values – make you feel inadequate or
like your mission something
·
Using extrinsic values rather then intrinsic values
·
Values trigger attitude, attitude trigger behaviour
·
Mission out is one of our biggest fears
·
Need to get intrinsic values – from emersion/engaging ie. Hobbies
·
Turning the consumer into the producer
Week 12: Issues in Sustainable
Consumption
Alternative
/cooperative approaches to sustainable consumption to:
Week 13: Designing
for Sustainability
·
There is a GAP between information and action
-economic gap
-social/ cultural gap
-institutional
-values
-attituedes/emotional gap
-knowledge
-ecological awareness
·
Advertising showing people reactions and actions - The viewer copies to
fit in
Week 1: Introduction:
Concepts and Consequences
What is meant by
‘consumerism’? What is meant by ‘over-consumption’? Are we all ‘consumers’?
- Consumerism is a
social and economic order and ideology that encourages the acquisition of
goods and services in ever-greater amounts
- 'Sunk Cost - to be in over your head, already
used too much money
- 'CUSTODIAL CONSUMPTION' -
Don't blame individuals, blame the system
Week 2: Pleasure, Luxury and
Democracy by Design
What is meant by ‘the democratization of luxury’? Why
is ‘luxury’ such an important (and elusive) term in the development of the
first modern consumer society in the eighteenth century?
- England eventually put aside
fighting for religion and became wealthy through monarchy with the Danish
- this birthed 'Aristocratic
Luxury
- old idea of luxury showed
positions of power
- new idea of luxury shows no
need for excess
- consumerism was a madness
- middle to upper class with
good self-control showed their luxuries in an orderly war
- high quality goods could
only be obtained by the rich or made by wealthy people who could afford
training to make
- poor could not afford to
learn to make good quality goods, therefore had bad copies
Week 3: Imitation in Design, Production
and Consumption
What role does imitation play in design and what
role does it play in consumption? How do these two relate?
- Imitation from
other countries goods created local wealth
- the imitation created innovation as
the makers did not have the skills or resources/technology to
copy exactly
- 'combining imports
from abroad with native inventiveness
- imitation was
not seen as a negative thing but a thing of high skill
- imitation=
Interpreting, adaption, contextualizing, improving then eventually
production and even exporting back to the
original countries the idea come from
- industrial
revolution made the manufacturing process easier and changed the
industry
- imitation
created advancement in design, progress\
- imitation
in consumption comes back to people wanting what other
people have
Week 4: Ideology in Design,
Production and Consumption
Why do designers want to change the world? How does
this differ from consumers wanting a 'better' life?
·
Introduction of machines
took ‘romantic’ idea out of design
· Lose skills, care and craftsmanship
· Remedial design – get something we didn’t know we needed
· Becoming socialists
· Morris – one of the worlds most successful designers, INFLUENCIAL
· Morris was a ‘hammer and smith’ socialist based on the restoration to re-educate people about of ‘art and craft’ – he looked after his workers with the ideology of ‘if they wanted to work they would work well’
· Tolkin influenced by Morris
· Design can change the world
· Unity if all art
· Craft work is good work, as opposed by factory work
· Stewardship in possesionm only to have good goods and what you need
· Socialism isa having no ‘class’ system
· Modernism era 1980 Alessi – realised the value of limited edition craft/art pieces
· Consumerism should be based on needs but isn’t
· If the designer is not indepeneent then they end up being a designer for industry and end up producing the same ‘shit’
· ‘The more you consume the more you are consumed’
· Blue collar work = works with hands
· White collar work = works with mind
· Lose skills, care and craftsmanship
· Remedial design – get something we didn’t know we needed
· Becoming socialists
· Morris – one of the worlds most successful designers, INFLUENCIAL
· Morris was a ‘hammer and smith’ socialist based on the restoration to re-educate people about of ‘art and craft’ – he looked after his workers with the ideology of ‘if they wanted to work they would work well’
· Tolkin influenced by Morris
· Design can change the world
· Unity if all art
· Craft work is good work, as opposed by factory work
· Stewardship in possesionm only to have good goods and what you need
· Socialism isa having no ‘class’ system
· Modernism era 1980 Alessi – realised the value of limited edition craft/art pieces
· Consumerism should be based on needs but isn’t
· If the designer is not indepeneent then they end up being a designer for industry and end up producing the same ‘shit’
· ‘The more you consume the more you are consumed’
· Blue collar work = works with hands
· White collar work = works with mind
Week 5: Issues in Social and Technical Systems
Is
overconsumption a matter of individual choice, or are we all 'locked in' to
excess consumption by socio-technical systems? What does Sanne mean by
‘compulsory consumption’? Can you relate this concept to the reality of
car-based transportation?
·
Consumption – things we
cant live without vs things we have anyway
· Systems force us no need things
· Cars are useless without roads, we need roads
· All roads, car parks, public space is only gained through a car so you get a car to use thiese other things
· SUNK COST EFFECTS – unrecoverable costs
· Somebody selse problem
· Monetary value isn’t actural value
· Gruan Transfer (Victor Graun) = scripted marketing
· People buy more then they expected to buy and spend more then intended
· SYSTEMS BECOME NORMALISED
· You need a car to go shopping but you can’t shop in car
· As ‘externalisation machines,’ corporations have no legal requirement to consider social and environmental impacts of their actions, only for the share holders
· Systems force us no need things
· Cars are useless without roads, we need roads
· All roads, car parks, public space is only gained through a car so you get a car to use thiese other things
· SUNK COST EFFECTS – unrecoverable costs
· Somebody selse problem
· Monetary value isn’t actural value
· Gruan Transfer (Victor Graun) = scripted marketing
· People buy more then they expected to buy and spend more then intended
· SYSTEMS BECOME NORMALISED
· You need a car to go shopping but you can’t shop in car
· As ‘externalisation machines,’ corporations have no legal requirement to consider social and environmental impacts of their actions, only for the share holders
Week 6: Meaning and
Identity in Consumerism
To what extent do our possessions define who we
are? Can we exist without (many) things? To what extent is our identity and
sense of self tied to the 'things' and associated memories we most value?
· Lifestyle consumption
· Collectors and collections
· Sentimental value
· Heirloom
·
Value of things greater then monetary value
1.
Identity
2.
Personal satisfaction
3.
Nostalgia
4.
Enjoyment
Week 7: Competition and Comparison
in Consumption
How are everyday ‘norms’ and ‘standards’
formed? What is meant by positional consumption? What psychological or
imaginary ‘deficit’ is created through ‘reputational marketing’ and
advertising?
· Pre industrial – ranks of wealth was put on display ie, Royalty
· 18th century people wanted to show their social status by their possessions
· Usually came down to one’s clothing – this is the culture we have today
· But now we all have everything
· The upper-class have the luxury items
· The middleclass get standardised – but this leads to increase in what the standard is – constant aspiration to become upper-class and obtain the ‘luxury items’ – consumption
Week 8: Thinking about Nature in
Consumption
To what extent does technology and media change
or shape how we understand and experience 'nature'? Have
we turned 'nature' into a commodity?
·
To do with nature – brought from science
· Nature is distanced by technology
· The more we learn about nature the more we realise that ‘animals are more like humans’ – actually humans are more like animals.
· America – recover nature – nature seen as damaged
· Green washing – saying your ‘green’ using is as a marketing tool it’s a con
· Nature is distanced by technology
· The more we learn about nature the more we realise that ‘animals are more like humans’ – actually humans are more like animals.
· America – recover nature – nature seen as damaged
· Green washing – saying your ‘green’ using is as a marketing tool it’s a con
Week 9: Social
and Technical Acceleration
What is meant by ‘social
acceleration’ and is this driven by new technology? How does this expand and
accelerate consumerism?
·
A
convergence of social and technological changes leading to unprecedented
acceleration of social, economic and material life.
· Technological Acceleration + Acceleration of Social Change + Acceleration of ‘pace of life’ we experience – according to Rosa this is self-reinforcing system
· Consumerism as ‘cultural engine’ of this change – expanding and accelerating, aided by computer + internet; ‘internet of things’; increasing mobility, instant communication
· Technological Acceleration + Acceleration of Social Change + Acceleration of ‘pace of life’ we experience – according to Rosa this is self-reinforcing system
· Consumerism as ‘cultural engine’ of this change – expanding and accelerating, aided by computer + internet; ‘internet of things’; increasing mobility, instant communication
Week 11:
Values, Behaviour and Change
Why are most information campaigns and many
targeted behaviour change campaigns so ineffective? How can we ‘sell’
sustainable behaviour and consumption?
·
Berneys – Pioneer of PR
· Manipulation of peoples values through campaigning
· Advertising exploits ‘extrinsic’ values – make you feel inadequate or like your mission something
· Using extrinsic values rather then intrinsic values
· Values trigger attitude, attitude trigger behaviour
· Mission out is one of our biggest fears
· Need to get intrinsic values – from emersion/engaging ie. Hobbies
· Turning the consumer into the producer
· Manipulation of peoples values through campaigning
· Advertising exploits ‘extrinsic’ values – make you feel inadequate or like your mission something
· Using extrinsic values rather then intrinsic values
· Values trigger attitude, attitude trigger behaviour
· Mission out is one of our biggest fears
· Need to get intrinsic values – from emersion/engaging ie. Hobbies
· Turning the consumer into the producer
Week 12: Issues in Sustainable
Consumption
What do we mean by ‘sustainable consumption’?
Can 'sustainable consumption' promote ecological citizenship? How?
Alternative
/cooperative approaches to sustainable consumption to:
1.
Restructure economies to localization, slower cycle of use, discard
2.
Work directly with consumers, not through branded chains
3.
Cut gross levels of consumption through design-led strategies
4.
Use new indicators of well-being, not ‘GNP’
5.
Substitute local ‘non-commodity’ goods and services
6.
Prefer, promote recycled, bartered, second-hand goods
7. Embed transactions
in longer-term local relationships (e.g. Slow Food) Internalizes social and
environmental costs of globalized economy.
Week 13: Designing
for Sustainability
How can we materially reduce the volumes and negative
social and environmental impacts of global consumerism?
·
There is a GAP between information and action
-economic gap
-social/ cultural gap
-institutional
-values
-attituedes/emotional gap
-knowledge
-ecological awareness
· Advertising showing people reactions and actions - The viewer copies to fit in
-economic gap
-social/ cultural gap
-institutional
-values
-attituedes/emotional gap
-knowledge
-ecological awareness
· Advertising showing people reactions and actions - The viewer copies to fit in
