camelism

I just finished reading the Introduction of Zygmund Baumann’s book ‘Consuming Life’ (2007). His view offers quite a few interesting points about Internet behaviour in relation to general consumer behaviour and gives me the chance to broaden my reflections on unconscious web-based interaction.

In whichever way we choose to interact in the Internet we are juxtaposed to certain expectations. There are some unwritten rules and invisible relationships between the client as the ‘well trained consumer’ and the company’s website we access through the web. What we have to emphasize on (and this equally applies to social networking platforms) is our position as a consumer. ‘Consumers are not expected to swear loyalty to the objects they obtain with the intention to consume.’ (p21)

The general tendency of individualism or self-drivenness reveals during these practices for example in the way how people think about their personal relationships, Baumann mentions Internet dating as an example of presenting ourselves as a commodity. ‘The company of flesh-and-blood human beings makes the habitual clients of internet dating agencies, properly primed by commodity market practices, fell ill at ease.’ (p16)

What I found very appropriate is Baumann’s discussion of a Guardian article from the 2 March 2006, which announced that ‘in the past 12 months, “social networking” has gone from being the next big thing to the thing itself.’ (p1)
In that sense social networking sites are “like opening of the latest uptown bar” in real life (or maybe ‘Second life’?) these sites can be compared to what we know from the one plus one of business studies and what is called a product cycle. If the product fails to consistently redefine its shape and attraction, we will impatiently move on to the next ‘hottest’ and ‘superhottest’ available thing on the market. And so do –according to Baumann- Experts on internet fashion simply state at least 40 per cent of this year’s top ten will be nowhere this time next year.” (p1)

A drastic change can be observed regarding the speed of how things emerge and then suddenly vanish forever as an on going hype. Relating to my post on the structures behind social networking again what I am actually referring to is very much linked to the principles of our economic market structures, namely capitalism, and namely the bases of exponential growth and constant expansion, in order to keep the economy growing…. We used to have a black and white television, but our economy needs us so I might as well buy a colour TV, and then a bigger one as a next step, then one for the bed room just because, and then I slowly replace them all with lcd-screen tv’s, although my old are still working, I will give them away, because I can, and because I learned to belief that this is right…

Even though the Internet allows immediate borderless communication through its technological possibilities Baumann points out that the way in which social networking sites are used is very much dependent on locality. He argues that in Britain for example users can ‘still trust ‘social networking’ to manifest their freedom of choice, and even believe it to be a means of youthful rebellion’ just because parents in general would act as some sort of watch dogs for their children, and define restrictions just as well as such sites would be banned from school. Contrary so is the attitude of youngsters in South Korea, ‘where most ‘social life’ is conducted primarily in the company of computer, iPod or mobile.’ (p2)
What Baumann aims to stress that depending on what your ultimate surrounding world expects from you, in many cases young people then don’t have a choice of where to live their social life: ‘Living social life electronically is no longer a choice, but a ‘taking it or leaving it’ necessity,’ which consequently results in ‘social death,’ for those who fail to join. (p2)

In another case study Baumann reflects upon the Guardian information that ‘computer systems are being used to snub you more effectively, depending on your value to the company you’re calling.’ (p3) Your customer value determines the way your phone call will be dealt with. You can expect to be wait in the queue or will automatically be connected to the relevant department, it simply depends on the computer based records the company holds regarding your relevance as a customer.
In that respect Baumann’s argumentation is that technology can hardly be blamed for such new practices however because in actual facts it just enables to deal with tasks in a more efficient way.

The Internet and all the technologic tools it requires (in some cases very simple HTML codes) help to rationalize and optimize consumers’ choice. Even though we might generally be confronted with information overloads on the Internet at the same time company site’s clearly aim to reduce their content to specifically reach their target audience. This actually also relates to the discussion on good and bad web design. Good web design does not have to look simply ‘pretty’ it has to qualify to reach its defined target audience on the highest possible level.


Baumann, Zygmunt (2007), Consuming life. Cambridge: Polity Press.